tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8972120889629675714.post17740973927877031..comments2024-02-25T05:24:24.948-05:00Comments on Beyond Easy: What Is Art? (two cents out of a thousand million.)Patrick Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410016566636603639noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8972120889629675714.post-73004749208148483002013-01-19T18:14:37.528-05:002013-01-19T18:14:37.528-05:00I don't suppose it's very intellectual or ...I don't suppose it's very intellectual or nuanced, but it's a lot less stressful.Patrick Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02410016566636603639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8972120889629675714.post-5604666242681326532013-01-19T18:14:00.038-05:002013-01-19T18:14:00.038-05:00Actually, it was supposed to be a little joke abou...Actually, it was supposed to be a little joke about <i>Medea.</i> It's an old Greek tragedy about a woman who kills her kids to get back at her husband. Tonnes o' fun.<br /><br />I don't regret writing it because for the last week my stance on the WHAT IS ART issue has begun shifting towards the "oh the hell with it all" camp.Patrick Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02410016566636603639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8972120889629675714.post-61346208733566954272013-01-19T18:11:29.555-05:002013-01-19T18:11:29.555-05:00Speaking of making art, why you no update blog?Speaking of making art, why you no update blog?Patrick Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02410016566636603639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8972120889629675714.post-72027621791156383872013-01-16T14:54:45.212-05:002013-01-16T14:54:45.212-05:00Hmm. Maybe this will eventually shed some light on...Hmm. Maybe this will eventually shed some light on it?<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroesthetics<br />Patrick Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02410016566636603639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8972120889629675714.post-48533565342448417682013-01-15T14:25:06.981-05:002013-01-15T14:25:06.981-05:00There is also something to say for novelty, or rat...There is also something to say for novelty, or rather innovation and reactionism that contributes towards what constitutes Art; or at least propels it on into different forms and mediums over the course of time thus prompting these questions you're addressing. Because for all the criteria you've given above, and their respective plausibility in their own right, it comes back to the artists, those crafty buggers, who emerge as soon as someone says - 'i dub this art' - and create something completely outlandish - such as an 'impression' painting, a urinal fountain, or a stained glass turd, and say 'no, THIS is art'. <br />It then, I suppose, becomes a question of whether the Emperors wearing any clothes, arguments ensue, and I sort of just sit in the middle wondering whether i'm a lowly prole for just not 'getting it' and reading things like this to reconcile that i'm not the only one.willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15507599248593826713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8972120889629675714.post-22354716173243969362013-01-15T12:24:58.675-05:002013-01-15T12:24:58.675-05:00For me, I usually just save the term 'Art'...For me, I usually just save the term 'Art' for something that either tries to say something and/or evoke a specific mood, or something that has been elevated by society itself. And I still don't think this is a perfect definition.<br /><br />For one, it doesn't address the issue of functional art. Architecture, cuisine, and other things are items meant to serve a function (house us, feed us) but which also have quality ranging from 'Subpar' to 'In a league of its own.' Should 'The Best In Its Field' not qualify as a definition of Art?<br /><br />I'm sure Roger Ebert and others who don't consider video games to be Art wouldn't argue against, say, the Chrysler building being considered Art, because it's an iconic building design. But is it actually saying anything, or is it just so unique and beautiful that it qualifies as Art?<br /><br />Star Wars was only ever meant to entertain and make a few bucks, but it is, by any metric, the preeminent saga of the modern age. It's possible Star Wars is more popular and more influential in our era than the Iliad was in its. And because of its impact on pop culture I would argue that it can be considered Art, as decided by the population at large.<br /><br />And again, I don't think Ebert et al would argue against that. They certainly can't deny that the people have accepted and elevated Star Wars to a level of importance that something like the Seventh Seal aimed for from the outset.<br /><br />And then there's video games. Always ever meant to be entertainment, a profit-driven industry that, at its bottom line, is only concerned with money. Yet there have been products of the industry that, through process of elimination, have stood out as the best of the medium, not to mention certain titles that have broken out of the video game community and become engrained in pop culture at large (Pac-Man, Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong, Tomb Raider, Street Fighter, etc.). If only for making a lasting impact in pop culture, we could argue that those titles are Art.Philip Pangrachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14117360002501230429noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8972120889629675714.post-54308469909192656532013-01-15T11:23:16.989-05:002013-01-15T11:23:16.989-05:00I have read enough scholarly definitions of "...I have read enough scholarly definitions of "game" to be thoroughly sick of this kind of discussion. From what little math background I have, I'm most satisfied with definitions made to clarify a particular argument (or field of discussion). "If only we could all agree on a universal definition" is unreasonable. It really does come down to "what do I intend", trying to match it as closely with "how do I expect you to interpret it". A society is not one mind, from moment to moment even an individual isn't completely consistent.<br /><br />I sense from your edit that you regret writing all that... but I did find it clear and illustrative of the difficulty.Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12698007221193857147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8972120889629675714.post-18925372013060538032013-01-15T10:05:39.650-05:002013-01-15T10:05:39.650-05:00Some thoughts:
On issue I, I think that your &quo...Some thoughts:<br /><br />On issue I, I think that your "problem 3" marks the start of the solution to the riddle. We need to identify beauty, but as you say it is in itself an abstract concept that will lead to similar fruitless ends. However, I think we may take a shortcut via the way it affects us: Beauty is something that stir senses and sensibilities (indeed, most classical aesthetic components and techniques have been scientifically proven to be pleasant to human beings for reasons only theorized.) From there, we may retrace a bit and formulate that the pieces you mention which lack an immediate or widely acknowledged "beauty" are still stirring our senses and sensibilities in a way that we may comfortably group them together with beautiful things under the umbrella of "being artistic."<br /><br /><br />Suddenly busy. More thoughts will have to wait.Maokunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15459710218366288832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8972120889629675714.post-19244299964985836962013-01-14T23:04:14.640-05:002013-01-14T23:04:14.640-05:00This is distracting me so I am going to comment ju...This is distracting me so I am going to comment just so I'll stop reading it! It feels silly to try to figure out what art is, but then again as a creator of art it is even sillier NOT to try and figure out what it is... I guess that's what you're doing when you make art. Or behold it. I know that's not only useless and adds nothing to what you already said in this post, it is also dreadfully trite, awkwardly worded and sounds like the sentiment of a bad slam poem, but I think I will be able to stop thinking about what art is so I can return to writing other stuff now. Except, shit, I'm trapped! I feel like there is a circle that can't be escaped with this discussion, but wouldn't it be really cool to somehow figure out something that is outside of this circle?Pretley Sandershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12220313558400794253noreply@blogger.com