The Word 'Art'/What is Art?

         The word 'art' is simple, constructed of three letters and the pronunciation does not deviate from law of the English language. However, the definition of art itself deserves some argument. It is highly dependent on the person asked. The reason for tis is because art, unlike other fields, has no defined laws or moral grounds. Historically, since the birth of dada, an art movement that was spurred by Marcel Duchamp in the early twentieth century, all rules and laws that once defined art are now blown apart.

           Because of the lack of universal laws in art, almost everyone today views themselves as their own expert on what art is. Going back to the example of Duchamp, who took a "readymade" urinal and tipped on its side in 1917 then called it art, created quite a stir. Even today, almost 100 years later, controversy remains about the urinal in question, the piece Duchamp titled Fountain still provokes arguments about what art is and what separates good art and bad art.

           First, to understand what art is, one must separate the art from the artwork. The integrity of artwork is subject to change. It can be highly influenced by fads, the time period it was made, and the laws of what the current society sees as good art. Defining the term artwork is very different from defining art, and its subjectivity probably merits it an extremely elaborate definition.

           Just as a building needs a good foundation, so does a definition for art. What elements constitute art? First of all, an artist is needed to create art and artwork. The artist must contain some sort of skill, which only means the ability to manipulate the plastic elements of art.  More importantly, he or she must be of an open mind and be able to imprint their particular visions into an artwork. Just as one communicates through words, an artist must just as readily be able to communicate through art.

           But with the wide diversity of artwork and artists, the next question comes up of what the connections are among all art. What does the painter have in common with the crafter, have in common with the musician, and so on? The best description of the motivation of all these people to execute art is the transcendent feeling one gets from such an activity. Abstract expressionist Mark Rothko describes such a feeling as 'biological immortality' saying that biological immortality "involves the process of procreation, the extension of oneself into the world of the perceptible environment."

           Other artists popularly define this as "the zone" or "that moment when...", but these descriptions often fall short of Rothko's definition since they are only understood by other artists. Rothko's definition of biological immortality goes beyond the common definitions known exclusively to the art community into the broader knowledge of human kind.

           Where as "the zone" is a vague term used exclusively for art, biological immortality is an inevitable factor of human existence. The first part of Rothko's definition is the process of procreation, which happens to be trademark drive for human kind according to Freudian Psychology. The drive to create gives allowance to all humans to explore the concept of biological immortality. Even people who view themselves as uncreative must have constructed something during the span of their lives. The second part of Rothko's definition is the extension of oneself into their perceivable environment. This moment Rothko describes is when the person feels at one with their environment. Suddenly, everything comes together and the person is found in a content peaceful state of mind only achievable through biological immortality. Both parts of Rothko's definition can be described in everything from tantrism, to baking a cake.

           Within this vast array of activities one pursues to experience biological immortality, is painting, drawing, composing, writing, and crafting. Also floating in the array are other art forms, such as the art of business, and even the art of practicing medicine.

           Rothko’s alternative definition of "the zone";, as well as the artist's application of skill and the ability to see things creatively is the basis for the definition of art. Now that the elements have been defined, an informal concluding sentence for the definition of what art perhaps looks something like this:


art /ärt/
(noun)
The expression of a person’s reality and creativity combined with their skill to manipulate the plastic elements and convey that reality, as well as the process of procreation and connection with one's environment.