What is Art? A simple Question With an Array of Fascinating Answers!
In fact, it’s a question that leads to many more questions. Is something 'art' as long as it was made by an artist? Is it art if it’s displayed in an art gallery? Is it art if there’s no painting or physical object to look at? Artists and philosophers have been exploring these questions for decades! So, what or who is an artist?
Photograph by Ryan Stefan of a couple viewing a large portrait of an older woman.
Students and hobbyists often wonder what standard they need to reach in order to call themselves an artist. At Art for Life, we believe that everyone is born creative, and that making things is an instinctive part of our soul. So we think anyone who makes art can call themselves an artist, no matter how much experience they have. As we grew up, our teachers, peers or even our own inner voice might have told us that we needed to get it ‘right’ before we can consider ourselves an artist. That's not true at all! Anyone can make art, whether it's as a hobby or professionally, and there are so many diverse expressions of art that make the world a richer place.
"Viewing art can give as much pleasure as being in love" Professor Semir Zeki
What is a 'good' piece of art? What would be deemed a successful result?
Well that depends on what you value. The ultimate aim isn’t always to achieve an accurate likeness of whatever it is you’re depicting. (We have cameras for that these days!) Making something look realistic is a good skill to learn, and something we can help you with in our classes, but it’s also beneficial to expand your horizons and learn to value originality, ambiguity and imagination!
Sometimes it’s good to focus on making something look interesting or intriguing, or expressing your feelings about a subject. Otherwise all art would look the same… and wouldn’t that be boring?!
"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep" Scott Davies
Would you love to enjoy more art? Join us for our 10 week All-Abilities course and explore wide range of mediums and artistic styles. These art classes are suitable for all abilities, including complete beginners. We explore everything from architecture to portraits, using pencils, charcoal, pastels, watercolour, gouache and acrylics.