Art, What is art? Options

[misoshiru]

Alright, this topic stems from a small debate in the graphics showcase about whether posterizing a picture is the same as vector/vexeling. But to expand on that, I'd like to raise up a question that is constantly debated today: so, what is art? Or, what constitutes art? Is it the fact that it is created or because it has an underlying meaning? Or just because the 'artist' or 'person who made it' calls it art, therefore it's art.

Also, I'd like to bring up the topic of computer graphics and photography. Vectoring and vexeling, could that go under the art category, or like photography, not truly be considered an art because that is simply the 're-making' or 'copying' of something else? Should art be confined only to the constrictions of old beliefs - the fact that you have to paint, or mold, or make something completely new to be considered as art? If so, then Andy Warhol's pop art should not be considered as art.

Okay, discuss.

[*mipadi*]

I think of art as any creative output driven not by necessity, but rather by a desire to express a message. Thus, anything that expresses a message of the creator, whether personal, political, sociological, or otherwise, consitutes art.

Creativity is an interesting concept, and the western idea of creativity is something that arose only during the Renaissance. In Ancient Greece, however, creativity was not confined solely to creating new works, but included the reproduction of duplication of a work; for example, it was considered creative for an artisan to accurately and deftly copy a vase created by another. Of course, copying another's work often removes the message that went behind that work—in other words, the duplicator does not create with the same intent to express a message.

I think that skills such as photography do constitute art in some contexts. If a person takes a photograph to express a message, then it is art. On the other hand, taking pictures of a war zone, while a valid and necessary skill, is not something I would consider "art" per se, as it's not a personal expression of a message necessarily.

As for vectoring and vexeling? If it's something entirely new or otherwise done to express a personal message, I would consider it art. If it's merely "posterizing" a photograph, then it is highly debatable whether that can be labeled art. Commercial graphics, perhaps, but art—well, it's a stretch.

Which brings up an interesting point about "commerical art". I almost feel like the term is an oxymoron. Art can bring an artist income, but it doesn't seem like something that should be created with the sole intent to make money or sell a product. This seems like a highly debatable grey area, too.