I don't know anymore

I read our first reading (photox, if you will) for Art Studies 2: Art around us. It dealt on how and why we deem things as art, how we define art and an artwork, and why it is important for us to do so. I found the reading insightful to the point of me not knowing what art is either.

Different groups of philosophers and artists tried to define or not define (anti-essentialists) art. I'm not going to dwell on their definitions but the main point is that they contradicted or overlapped each other's ideas of what art is. It made sense why they wanted to define art but it just made matters worse because nobody could define art point-blank. This left my mind wondering what art really is.

Honestly, I am not so sure thus the title of this blog post. I am not sure what art is because what may be art for me is not art for the next person. If I see a boulder as an artwork, another person would tell me that it's just another boulder with no aesthetically pleasing value. Even at a modern day and age we can't really decide for ourselves what art is.

We may call the Mona Lisa or The Thinker as an artwork but isn't a simple photograph or a well-written song by a friend of ours or a stranger even dare not to be called art? What is our basis for saying that these things are not art? They were not made by famous artists or sculptors or poets or musicians? But if you think about it, half of those artists weren't even famous until they died. Ergo, a person needs to die to make people think of his works as art, is that it? Or does he have to get into museums or art galleries for the same sake?

I'm dumbfounded by these insights right now and to think, this is my VERY FIRST reading in Art Studies. I can already feel all the conflicting feelings I'm going to have for all the other readings.

I'm pretty sure this class won't just be another GE I'm taking for the sake of having a GE or to pass the number of units I need to graduate; I think it would open my mind to further realize that art is all around us- although it may be subjective.

I can't believe I'm already writing about this but I just had to vent out my conflicted feelings about the true essence of art. I hope I resolve these feelings by the end of the semester. Can't wait. But for now, I have the same inquiry as many had and have in their lives and that question is, "What is art?"