Explain Art...

[oznerol]

I don't post much but I read quite often. There are usually many posts regarding evolution and whatnot, but none ever cover a question I've been contemplating for some time now.

Human beings use technology to their advantage, and I can understand this through evolutionary theory. Many other animals use primitive forms of tools as well. However, no other species (aside from the possibility of the dolphin) has a form of art.

My thought on this was that what art is exactly is relative to who (or what) is looking at it. But that seems like a cheap answer to me.

Other animals can't even acknowledge their own existence, let alone art. My dog, for instance, still barks at his reflection in the mirror.

Human beings, like many other animals, are capable of doing incredible things. But only humans have an appreciation for those things. When Michelangelo carved David, he did something no one else in the world had ever done before. He put a piece of himself in his work, and you can feel that by seeing it. But I digress.

This isn't meant to be spiritual or whatever. I'm not religious or agnostic or anything of that sort. I'm just finding it harder and harder to believe that human beings just got "lucky" in the evolutionary process. We can contemplate art, God, infinity. We can create and appreciate art.

Discuss. :beer:

 

[Sluggo]

A dog may just recognize a different art form than you do.

Art has a billion definitions to a billion different people. For some its the "Mona Lisa", for some its "dogs playing poker."

Your dog may think laying in the sun on a warm afternoon is pure mental and physical ecstasy, thereform art in its purest form. 🙂

 

[FrontlineWarrior]

I agree with the beer icon. The rest you figure out yourself.

 

[Goosemaster]

Art, its its most genuine form is interpretation.


It is a language by which thoughts without a corressponding vernacular can be expressed.

 

[Haller]

You guys are all wrong...art isn't understandable at all. This is coming from a hardcore musician. Art is everything you could possibly imagine, there is no way for us to pin it down. It exists before anybody, even the artist, has the slightest chance to interpret it. It's just there all of the sudden. I'm not going to turn this into a religious discussion but trying to comprehend art is the only thing I can think of that even comes remotely near the difficulty of comprehending God's existance.
Speaking from the creative point of view, the great works of art, literature, and music fall short of what their creator feels. There is no way for one of us to listen to Mozart 41 Symphony and understand all that Mozart felt when he wrote it. It all starts as an inexplicable, and nonsensical desire to convey something intangible, sometimes not even the artist really understands their work. So no, humans didn't just "luck out" evolutionally speaking....there's more than we can understand out there.

 

[UNCjigga]

Don't know much about art, but I know what I like!

 

[UglyCasanova]

Originally posted by: Haller
You guys are all wrong...art isn't understandable at all. This is coming from a hardcore musician. Art is everything you could possibly imagine, there is no way for us to pin it down. It exists before anybody, even the artist, has the slightest chance to interpret it. It's just there all of the sudden. I'm not going to turn this into a religious discussion but trying to comprehend art is the only thing I can think of that even comes remotely near the difficulty of comprehending God's existance.
Speaking from the creative point of view, the great works of art, literature, and music fall short of what their creator feels. There is no way for one of us to listen to Mozart 41 Symphony and understand all that Mozart felt when he wrote it. It all starts as an inexplicable, and nonsensical desire to convey something intangible, sometimes not even the artist really understands their work. So no, humans didn't just "luck out" evolutionally speaking....there's more than we can understand out there.

I agree and disagree, but since I can't even fathom the meaning myself I don't really have anything else to say. 🙂

Originally posted by: uncJIGGA
Don't know much about art, but I know what I like!

God I hate cheesy pop art with a passion. 😛

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: Haller
You guys are all wrong...art isn't understandable at all. This is coming from a hardcore musician. Art is everything you could possibly imagine, there is no way for us to pin it down. It exists before anybody, even the artist, has the slightest chance to interpret it. It's just there all of the sudden. I'm not going to turn this into a religious discussion but trying to comprehend art is the only thing I can think of that even comes remotely near the difficulty of comprehending God's existance.
Speaking from the creative point of view, the great works of art, literature, and music fall short of what their creator feels. There is no way for one of us to listen to Mozart 41 Symphony and understand all that Mozart felt when he wrote it. It all starts as an inexplicable, and nonsensical desire to convey something intangible, sometimes not even the artist really understands their work. So no, humans didn't just "luck out" evolutionally speaking....there's more than we can understand out there.

That is EXACTLY what I said..except in 2 sentences

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

There is an excellent book "The psychology of Art" that address this issue in a couple of chapters.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Art can be defined in many ways, as most subjective phenomenon can. Personnally, I prefer to think that the definition of art lies in the mind of the creator (the artist) rather than the viewer. If someone creates something that they think, or feel, is art, then it is art. Thus, graffiti can be art as can be a painting of jesus in some lewd sex act.

 

[Looney]

Some monkeys collect stones and other shiny stuff... they must appreciate it if they would do that. Just because their sense of value is different than ours, doesn't mean they don't value art.

 

[idNut]

Originally posted by: Haller
You guys are all wrong...art isn't understandable at all. This is coming from a hardcore musician. Art is everything you could possibly imagine, there is no way for us to pin it down. It exists before anybody, even the artist, has the slightest chance to interpret it. It's just there all of the sudden. I'm not going to turn this into a religious discussion but trying to comprehend art is the only thing I can think of that even comes remotely near the difficulty of comprehending God's existance.
Speaking from the creative point of view, the great works of art, literature, and music fall short of what their creator feels. There is no way for one of us to listen to Mozart 41 Symphony and understand all that Mozart felt when he wrote it. It all starts as an inexplicable, and nonsensical desire to convey something intangible, sometimes not even the artist really understands their work. So no, humans didn't just "luck out" evolutionally speaking....there's more than we can understand out there.

I completely agree. I don't really like expensive art that is considered priceless and sh!t. I think that stuff is a waste of money. The only art that I like is literature and music. 3D and 2D art is sometimes too complex to try and attempt to understand. Abstract art is garbage. Representational art is okay but abstract is garbage.