ART - DEFINABLE? - By Autumn Boyet-Stinton (Original Article Written 1/20/2008)

was thinking about posting a topic last night, and trying to decide what to "chat" about this time.  In the pre-sleep state of mind that I was in, my mind was wondering and I starting thinking about the simple definition of ART...and whether or not it was even definable.  So that is what this weeks post is about.

CAN you define ART?  SHOULD you define ART? 

To start off I thought we would look at the dictionary definition of ART. 

ART –noun

1.	the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

2.	the class of objects subject to aesthetic criteria; works of art collectively, as paintings, sculptures, or drawings: a museum of art; an art collection.

3.	a field, genre, or category of art: Dance is an art.

4.	the fine arts collectively, often excluding architecture: art and architecture.

5.	any field using the skills or techniques of art: advertising art; industrial art.

6.	(in printed matter) illustrative or decorative material: Is there any art with the copy for this story?

7.	the principles or methods governing any craft or branch of learning: the art of baking; the art of selling.

8.	the craft or trade using these principles or methods.

9.	skill in conducting any human activity: a master at the art of conversation.

10.	a branch of learning or university study, esp. one of the fine arts or the humanities, as music, philosophy, or literature.

11.	arts, a. (used with a singular verb) the humanities: a college of arts and sciences. b. (used with a plural verb) liberal arts.

12.	skilled workmanship, execution, or agency, as distinguished from nature.

13.	trickery; cunning: glib and devious art.

14.	studied action; artificiality in behavior.

15.	an artifice or artful device: the innumerable arts and wiles of politics.

16.	Archaic. science, learning, or scholarship.

That being said...honestly, I think we would all agree that "defining" ART is really a pointless exercise in attempting to contain something that is subjective.  BUT...I had to make an attempt to represent all sides. 

Just on a whim, I thought that I would check out the thesaurus to see what came up when I looked up ART - I found this to be much more interesting. 

ART - adroitness, aptitude, artistry, craft, craftsmanship, creativity, dexterity, expertise, facility, imagination, ingenuity, inventiveness, knack, know-how, knowledge, mastery, method, profession, trade, virtuosity

HUMMMMM....So art is more conceptual!  I like that!  That makes sense to me!  While ART may traditionally be referred to as skill or mastery of something, I think that it is better defined as "concept" and the special faculty of the human mind to stimulate the senses, the imagination, transmitting emotion and ideas.  This idea in itself is BOUNDLESS! 

ART is diverse.  ART ranges from activities to feelings.  BUT, it can also refer to anything that stimulates the senses. 

VISUAL ART  is defined as the arrangement of colors, forms, or other elements "in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic medium".

I find it interesting to look at the way some "great thinkers" have spoke of ART:

"ART - One of the most elusive of the traditional problems of human culture" - Richard Wollheim

"ART is an indirect means to communicate from one person to another" - Leo Tolstoy

"ART expresses emotions, and therefore essentially exists in the mind of the creator." - Benedetto Croce R.G. Collingwood.

and one of my favorites....

"No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness."  - Aristotle

And while this last quote may at first seem to have little or no connection to ART...artists will tell you that "madness" of some sort enhances or effects their at process and the interpretation.  However, lets not forget that ART as "representation" has deep roots in the philosophy of ARISTOTLE as well.

Whatever the definition of ART, it is evident that it has existed in a definable form as long as humankind has been around.  Prior to that???  I think that ART has always existed, even in the simple form of a plant or creature.  BUT, it is only in the appreciation and quest for beauty and emotion that ART becomes reality. 

So what makes something artful?  Beauty? Class? Style?  It is common in the history of ART for people to dispute whether a particular form or piece of work counts as ART or not.  But isn't ART in the eye of the beholder?  Aren't we all moved by different things?  Isn't ART personal and as individual as a fingerprint.....

Here's the real beauty of ART ......YOU GET TO DECIDE!