From the reading, “What is art for?” by E. Dissanayake, there was one quote, in particular, that I wanted to discuss. This quote can be referred to on page 19, where Dissanayake states “Art is not universal”. I believe that this is absolutely true. Art is not universal because there is not just one specific style or concept. Art has and can be define in many different ways. In the past, art was used as a “service of religion” (16). Art then progressively developed with the “gradual secularization of society, rise of science, social interpersonal changes, emphasis on reason, and great political revolutions” (17). I think what makes art great and ever evolving is the fact that there is no right or wrong way to approach it. Every work-of-art has the ability and potential to be different from every other work before it.
I believe that many people with no talent have become famous and people with incredible talent have become world famous. I also believe many people with incredible talent will never be known. A few days ago, I read an article that said a “canvas painted blue with a white line” sold for $44 million. I find this insane because I could have created the same exact painting, and I do not think that I am artistically talented whatsoever. Or maybe I am? I like to doodle drawings on my notebook. Should I be a famous artist? Who knows? It is subjective.
I do not see this painting to be a masterpiece but others do see it as one. I think that art is subjective because its interpretations are mostly based on the perspective of the viewer. It behooves us as viewers of art to interpret it with a critical eye, yet that can very often, lead individuals to different conclusions and reactions to a work of art.
Hi,
I really like your painting example. I felt the same way when I went to the art museum in Los Angeles. There are so many paintings which express nothing, in my word, a three years old kid could make the same picture. However, this is the interesting of arts and culture. When different people see a same painting, they have different opinions, some think it is good, but some think it is bad. Furthermore, we should still think about why the author made this painting. Maybe it is ridiculous to us, but it might have some special meanings for the author when he/she made it. So, in my opinion, when we see an art, we should no only see the art itself, but also think about the culture when it was made.
–Houzhi Wu
Thank you for your comment Houzhi,
Yes, I agree with you that we should try to see the painting from a different perspective. Im not exactly sure how i would view it differently though because from the culture I grew up in, all I see is a blue canvas. I do not doubt that something like this could be considered a masterpiece but that fact that is was sold for $44 million blows my mind. Maybe I should become an artist for a paycheck like that one day!