23 August 2011

What is art?


Meghan Calhoun, Untitled (Cotton balls), 2011
via here


What is art? A question that has kept scholars and other people debating for centuries.

To me, 'true' art is what evokes a reaction in me: physical or emotional, pleasant or disturbing. The painting above instantly spoke to me. It brought up the memory of an anecdote my parents are intent on keeping alive. I have heard it so many times, it almost feels like I can actually remember it happening. According to them, I was quite the artist myself when I was 2. I was not hindered by conventions, expectations, fear of failure. Those came later. 

The year was 1973 and my mum kept a large bag of pastel-coloured cotton balls in the bathroom. (I clearly remember those. I loved them!) One afternoon, when she came to my room to wake me from my afternoon nap,the bed was empty. The story goes she found me in the bathroom making my finest work of art to date. I had dunked the whole bag of cotton balls in the toilet and stuck them on the wall.

So, what is art to you?


5 comments :

erleichda said...

i totaly agree with you on what art is- and on the fact that kids are the greatest of artists because of the lack of conventions and other things we "learn" later...
i was talking about my son once and a friend of mine said : now you know it. we come perfect to this world. and this world distroy us... it was said with humor but i think there is some truth in it...

agnes szucs said...

i'll think about it. might come back later.
the painting evokes in me a somewhat artistic adventure, too... when i dotted a beautiful, crisp white shirt of mine with wax and dyed it purple (lila)... i liked the look, but i couldn't entirely remove the wax... :P it's so good to remember how many various attempts i made at making chlothes and other stuff.

love,
agnes
:)

Anonymous said...

oh my, I bet your mother wasn't really all that impressed ;-)

by the way, I find that question impossible to answer!

Carole Reid said...

Tough question. My answer changes as I age and realize that art is in the eyes of the beholder. I'd have loved to see your mom's face when she found you and your creation! :)

E. said...

@ Demie: I agree with what your friend said! And once we're adults it is so hard to shed all those 'rules' again.

@ Agnes: hehehe, that made me laugh!

@ Lisa: My mum swears she was really proud of me, but as you said, I'm not so sure she was when she found me!

@ Carole: Yes, I have found too that it is in constant flux!

x E.

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