What Is Art? How It Speaks Differently to Everyone
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I was recently talking with a friend of mine about a painter’s group she is in. They had an intense discussion, I am told, about the age-old question, “What is art?”
The focus was on whether “inspired by” constitutes new work or is just a copy. As much as that debate appeals to the lawyer in me (no, I do not know a thing about copyright law other than how to spell it), the group’s first question jumped out at me and is far more interesting.
What is art? As artists, you would think we all have an immediate answer that is fairly universal. But, of course, we do not. Subjectivity enters in and finding a clear answer becomes far more difficult.
So, for this issue, I thought I would explore the question of what art is in the context of this year’s battery recharge trip that I took with my sister to Paris and Barcelona. If I cannot find the answer there, we are all in trouble!
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It’s Time
As many of you know from last year, I try to take a trip each year to get away from the studio and revitalize my creative batteries. For me, there is no better way to do so than to go somewhere that differs from home, with different food, language, architecture, climate, etc.
Seeing the world from someone else's perspective is a wonderful way to look at everything with fresh eyes. After a long but wonderful year in the studio and doing shows, each of us needs to take a little break to find our voice again.
Wherever that space may be, taking time away from production and selling is critical for not just our mental health (some days I feel like the Jack Nicholson character in The Shining — all work and no play makes Scott a dull potter), but also to renew and reimagine our own artistic visions.
New ideas can come organically as we work, but exposing ourselves to outside influences can trigger our creative juices in a way that solitary time in a studio never can. So, get out and explore!
This year, my sister Rachel accompanied me, and we met up with one of my best friends, Indra. Though we did not go to any art fairs, you cannot help but get slapped in the face with art wherever you turn in both Paris and Barcelona.
So, that should make answering the big question about what is art easy, right? Not so fast.