We as Humans

Art.

What is....art? This question is eternally posed and never quite answered. In a quite literally sense, art could be considered one of the three ways of viewing life around us, including science and religion. In a philosophical sense, there are thousands of answers.

One analogy I've heard is that of a chained cat. Say an artist creates a sculpture of a cat and gives it to a college. The college puts a chain around the cats neck to keep it from being stolen and thus after generations, it becomes known as The Chained Cat. Is the chain part of the artwork?

If yes, then what about the chain makes it art? Why not the fence around it?

If no, are all the students who consider it wrong? Would you view it as art before learning this? What specifically changes.

One could say that art is anything made with the intention of invoking an emotional response. By this, does that mean the front of a cereal box isn't art? What about a casual sketch from an artist? If I create something meaningless to me, but you find it moving, are you wrong that it is art?

Let's say art is defined by intention. Even here a toilet is made with intention and a splattered canvas may not be, but here one is still considered art. If an elephant draws a picture, the elephant itself did not have the intention of art, but it still created a drawing. Would that drawing be art?

Another opinion is that art is anything that you find to be artistic. Through this, nature could be considered art. Though many people disagree, even if you find it artistic, nature cannot be art.

This leads us back to the original question. What is it that defines art? If one blank canvas represents an emotion of bliss and the other is just yet to be completed, are either art even if one was made with intention and emotion and the other was an accident but both are still the same? What differentiates a four year olds finger painting of the sky from Da Vinci as art? Can only an artist create art?

Once again, when it's really thought about, what is art?

This chapter is inspired by Crash Course Philosophy: Aesthetic Appreciation. I strongly suggest you check it out on YouTube before you fully disagree with anything stated here. Also it's generally very interesting. Then come back and we'll chat like the pretentious humans we are.