ESSAY 7b
Discretionary and Disposable
QUESTION: Look back on the art of the last 4,000 years that we have just explored and, if it can be truly considered an asset to humanity, how was it ever considered discretionary and, if ever, disposable?
SUMMARY: I was instantly excited when I read this question; I knew this was the next essay question I wanted to answer. The "asset to humanity" bit really caught my eye. This essay question really stems back to the first few pages of notes we took in class. "There is no such thing as art, only artists."
REASON: The reason you asked us this question was first and foremost to reflect on everything we have learned this semester about the history of art and how art is still relevant today in our own lives. This question strongly relates to the class because it is basically talking about what we learned.
PURPOSE: I think the purpose of asking this question may be a little unclear at first. Asking if we think the historic art we just learned about is discretionary or disposable is quite intricate. How are we to say if it is or isn’t?
DIRECTION: The very first step I took in answering this question was retrieving the accurate definitions of “discretionary” and “disposable” and figuring out how they are used in art context. Once I figured that out I then began thinking about whether or not I thought art was considered an asset to humanity. As an artistic person I had no trouble answering that question.
IMPRESSIONS: I found it challenging to describe my thoughts in this essay. I found myself wanting to ramble on about how art is an asset to humanity more than whether or not historic art was discretionary or disposable.
THE ANSWER:
After looking back on the last 4,000 years of art that we have just explored, there is no doubt in my mind that art as a whole can truly be considered an asset to humanity. Not only has art structured the history of humanity but it still surrounds us in this day in age, art is everywhere.
Fada Art (link is to my facebook where I posted the photo)
[Not to get off topic.. but the background image on my blog is a piece of art work that I bought at an art festival a few years ago. It is actually paint on a thin piece of wood and it cost me three bucks. I loved the words so I took a picture of this small piece of wall art, and edited the image so I could upload load it onto the internet…I think is has a lot of relevance to this essay.]
Art can be used for building, teaching, expressing, and recording; as well as modern art therapy. There are many forms of artistic expression and mediums. Art plays into our religion, media, communities, education, pleasures, hobbies and careers. If art isn't an asset to humanity then I don't know what is. Art is alive, it is real, Art isn't just a religion it is a way of life. I do not know how I feel about the whole "there is no such thing as art, only artists". I can maybe understand that quote when it is applied to there being no such thing as religion, only believers. Art is more concrete than religion is, right? Now I am getting ahead of myself.
As far as art ever being considered discretionary, I can see two sides to this statement. As a Libra, I am all about balance and weighing things out. I believe some forms or practices of art can be discretionary where some are more straight forward. Yes, sculpture and architecture is usually concrete metaphorically speaking; there usually isn't much questioning for the viewer. Architecture and sculpture is usually for a purpose. However modern abstract paintings and 3D art isn't so crystal clear. I feel like modern art is more discretionary than ancient art. As far as having meaning or value, I think art has a purpose in our lives.
For example the Egyptians, they used very utilitarian forms of art and architecture. Also the Greeks, with their terracotta pottery. Even though this ancient art was not "artsy" as some people ignorantly identify compared to today's standards, it was still a form of creative expression. (Refer back to my blog post with photos from the RISD museum, looks pretty creative to me) In all honesty I have mixed feelings. Maybe art as been and always will be discretionary. Maybe what we consider to be ancient art was never "art" to the ancient people; maybe it just was there. At the end of the day "art" is what you make of it, it can be anything a person wants it to be and that is the beauty of it.
As far as art ever being considered discretionary, I can see two sides to this statement. As a Libra, I am all about balance and weighing things out. I believe some forms or practices of art can be discretionary where some are more straight forward. Yes, sculpture and architecture is usually concrete metaphorically speaking; there usually isn't much questioning for the viewer. Architecture and sculpture is usually for a purpose. However modern abstract paintings and 3D art isn't so crystal clear. I feel like modern art is more discretionary than ancient art. As far as having meaning or value, I think art has a purpose in our lives.
For example the Egyptians, they used very utilitarian forms of art and architecture. Also the Greeks, with their terracotta pottery. Even though this ancient art was not "artsy" as some people ignorantly identify compared to today's standards, it was still a form of creative expression. (Refer back to my blog post with photos from the RISD museum, looks pretty creative to me) In all honesty I have mixed feelings. Maybe art as been and always will be discretionary. Maybe what we consider to be ancient art was never "art" to the ancient people; maybe it just was there. At the end of the day "art" is what you make of it, it can be anything a person wants it to be and that is the beauty of it.
Last but certainly not least is the word disposable. After looking up the all the similar definitions of the word disposable I think I can understand why you used the word in this essay question. Art is not something that should be taken for granted, if anything it should be shown more respect. Art should not be thrown away but it should be readily available to anyone who wants to embrace it. Anyone can scribble, splatter paint or snap a photograph; but not everyone can see the beauty and meaning behind it. Artists see things in a different way. We see the world around us as one giant composition or to some a blank canvas. Like art, humans evolved, so maybe it is wrong of me to say the ancient people didn't know they were making "art". After all they were alive and creating long before I was. Maybe the definition of art has not changed only gotten broader.
People are fascinated with art. "Art is food. You can't eat is but it feeds you."(Fada)
Art was created for a reason, let's just enjoy it.
