A Path Into Philosophy

Why Do We Really Create Art?

What is art? Is it really an expression of human creative skills and imagination?

Art has been around forever, after all, the oldest known work of art that we have found is the Spray-Painted Graffiti in Indonesia, which is known to be over ten thousand years old. What were they doing when they were making that art?

With me and my friends, we took on this question and here is what we have came up with.

To Fulfill Boredom And Sensation

Because Art has been around even before technology, then maybe people talked about people did it because they felt bored and had nothing else to do. However, people are now more advanced in technology, and there is other things to do other than draw when they are bored, so why do people still do it ?

Personal Satisfaction & Influence

Perhaps people do art because they want to get better at it, perhaps someone wants to become the next Leonardo da Vinci and create something that one day will be looked at as "great" and inspire other people. Art has always had a big influence on people, whether that would be music or physical art. With art having that much influence, how come it hasn't been used in a negative way, or been looked down upon for being negative? The majority of the public in the past, has had a history criticized music for being "too harsh" or "too sexual", but they never really criticized physical art for being too sexual or too harsh.

Because Of Greed

Nowadays, people make art because they intend to sell it, or use it for their own business, they are wanting to get something out of it, whether that is a feeling of an accomplisher, or because they want some money? There isn't just "Art", and if there is, it isn't as much as it used to. Is it because that society has developed so much that they have had so much greed? It is possible and likely that the past generations before currency has sold their art for something such as sheep or cattle, if this is the case, then do people do art because they just want something out of it? If we go back to the Spray-Painted Graffiti,then they didn't seem to do art because of anything except maybe a symbol that they were there, or perhaps they actually did it as a past time activity, but why?

My Thoughts

I personally of the mindset that people do art because of greed and they are bored. It doesn't make sense the me that people happily make art, and happily sell it. If they make art and they are proud of it, they will keep it because they can go like "Yeah, I made that when I was bored" and then when people are actually trying to and perfecting their art piece, they are wanting to sell it or get something out of it.