Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - is this art? ::i hope i just didn't say that outloud::

Mephisto2 · 11-21-2003, 02:56 PM

Of course it's art.

First of all (though not exclusively), art is that which makes you stop, think, debate. In this regard it has succeeded admirably.

Yves Klein also worked very hard to develop the colour blue that is used in this painting. IKB-79 I believe it's called.

If you think that this painting was not art, did you visit the rest of the gallery? What about the plain glass of water that the artist maintained was an oak tree? Not a representation of an oak tree, but a real oak tree.

What about the video art? Did you watch the time-lapse of the fruit decaying? The looped video of a man in a mask boxing?

Let's broaden our consideration.

What about Piet Mondrian's pictures? They also are just coloured boxes.

.

What about Andy Warhol's pictures? Are they art?

What about Jean-Michel Basquiat? Many would say his work is simply graffiti.

Then there's Kasimir Malevich, who also created works that look like simple coloured boxes.

Art can be defined many ways. I think the most appropriate is "If the artist says it's art, then it's art."

You don't have to like it. You don't have to "understand" it. You can even say you think it's nonesense.

However, you can't stand back and say "I think that's not art."

So, in summary, is Klein's work art? Of course it is. In fact, I love it.

I highly recommend the book This is Modern Art by Matthew Collins (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books). Or a more clinical assement would be the book Modern Art edited by David Britt. Finally there's the seminal work The Shock of the New by Robert Hughes (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books).

Art is there to be enjoyed. If you don't like, move on and spend some time looking at something else.

Mr Mephisto

11-21-2003, 02:56 PM	#36 (permalink)
Mephisto2 Junkie	Of course it's art. First of all (though not exclusively), art is that which makes you stop, think, debate. In this regard it has succeeded admirably. Yves Klein also worked very hard to develop the colour blue that is used in this painting. IKB-79 I believe it's called. If you think that this painting was not art, did you visit the rest of the gallery? What about the plain glass of water that the artist maintained was an oak tree? Not a representation of an oak tree, but a real oak tree. What about the video art? Did you watch the time-lapse of the fruit decaying? The looped video of a man in a mask boxing? Let's broaden our consideration. What about Piet Mondrian's pictures? They also are just coloured boxes. . What about Andy Warhol's pictures? Are they art? What about Jean-Michel Basquiat? Many would say his work is simply graffiti. Then there's Kasimir Malevich, who also created works that look like simple coloured boxes. Art can be defined many ways. I think the most appropriate is "If the artist says it's art, then it's art." You don't have to like it. You don't have to "understand" it. You can even say you think it's nonesense. However, you can't stand back and say "I think that's not art." So, in summary, is Klein's work art? Of course it is. In fact, I love it. I highly recommend the book This is Modern Art by Matthew Collins (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books). Or a more clinical assement would be the book Modern Art edited by David Britt. Finally there's the seminal work The Shock of the New by Robert Hughes (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books). Art is there to be enjoyed. If you don't like, move on and spend some time looking at something else. Mr Mephisto