Our Just Jot it January prompt today is the Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt “ART”
What is art? Does art, like beauty, lie in the eye of the beholder? Apparently, it does. On a recent trip to an art museum, I saw a lot of paintings, sculptures and drawings that just made my mind go “hmmm, that’s art? My 4 year old great grandson does better work than that.” But, I turn around and ponder a somewhat obscure Monet. I can get lost in the flow and patterns and wander about in that painting for hours. I get art, but some art, I just don’t “get.” That’s OK. In fact it’s wonderful. It is those differences in what we see, what we like, what moves us and what we are moved to create that binds the entire creative galaxy together.
If art lies in the eye of the beholder, what makes one an artist? I want to be an artist, Superhubs says I already am. Not because I’m published or because I write, or draw, or craft or anything else. The title of ‘artist’ comes from the same creative wellspring as the art we create, deep inside ourselves. I am currently reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Big Magic” and she talks about having the courage to bring forth the work that lies hidden within us. I think that’s what an artist is, someone who is willing to put in the time and effort to bring forth the jewels of creativity that lie buried deep within each of us.
I could ramble on about art for weeks, it is a subject near and dear to my heart but that can be boring so I’m going to go have another cup of coffee.
Til next time ~Peace ~JPP
Crone and Curmudgeon 
Your comment about ART –>”I get art, but some art, I just don’t “get.” That is exactly the way I feel about some poetry I read on the blogs, and I wonder if the problem is me, maybe I am wired wrong and sheltered too much to understand. Perhaps others don’t understand my poetry either, my offspring tell me!
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You know I have the same problem with some poetry. I bought an issue of “American Poetry” magazine and I kid you not, the lead poem was about urinating. I just didn’t get it. I couldn’t find anything beautiful, inspiring profound or even comical in it. So, yeah there’s lots of stuff I don’t “get” 😉 Thanks for stopping by.
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I am glad people like you are still asking themselves and us , “What is art?”. Science and technology might be able to enhance the work of artists, but it cannot provide personal meaning like art can. In many schools, educators try to define and evaluate the quality of an artist’s work, but I do not think personal meaning is universally measurable. Wealthy people often assign value or lack of value to precious or fake art, such as famous paintings or the paraphernalia that once belonged to famous artists, but this kind of measurement has more to do with financial investment than artistic meaning. I find it strangely reassuring that both extreme left and right wing governments find art threatening, perhaps more so than middle of the road capitalist ones, though it is terrible when artists suffer persecution because of their simple need to express deep ideas. Perhaps truly dedicated artists would prefer some level of hassle from authorities over indifference or living and living in poverty until deemed by commerce to have produced financially valuable art. In modern commercial societies, this is often after artists have died. State public schools are mostly squeezing the creative impulses out of children when they impose rules and standardized testing on the child’s artistic creation ( if interested, check out a now famous address on Youtube by Ken Robinson ‘Do Schools Kill Creativity’). Meanwhile “lucky” children of wealthy families attend private schools where art is tolerated, provided it too does not threaten cultural, religious and business priorities (as so well illustrated in the feature movie Dead Poets Society). I enjoy your blogs and this one especially. Thanks Wide-eyed one!
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Thank you so much. I’ll check out that video because, honestly I think schools do kill creativity. I think our whole society does too. I have a grandson who is really quite a talented artist (to my admittedly biased eye). He’s had several pieces placed in state wide competitions yet when asked by his “artistic” grandma (me) why he doesn’t pursue that, he say “it’s too girly”. Arrrrghh I really hate the way our whole society still, to this day, tries to tell boys that creativity is not manly. I grew up in public schools in California and I’m actually very glad of it. They were progressive and I was involved in several “experimental” programs for gifted children. It was a cool way to grow up. I had a belly dance teacher (yes I used to belly dance) who said “it’s not about steps, it’s about going where the music takes you.” Thanks for reading I always enjoy your comments so much.
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