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What is the purpose of art?
Posted by MelissaInTheSky • 6/19/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: art, artist, artists, creativity, drawing, expression, painting, sculpture
My blog today asks this question.
melissainthesky.blogspot.com/2009/06/question.html
What is the purpose of art?
User Comments
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IE won't let me post comments my answer: Art is an expression of feeling and emotion. It doesn't have to be a picture of something it can be anything. Jackson Pollack's splatters on canvas, Warhol's Marylin in bright colors, the Sistine Chapel w/ a naked man, even nature. Art is everywhere if you choose to see it.
The purpose is first and foremost to please the artist or a form of therapy Like Picaso's blue period etc. -
Art has no intrinsic purpose.-
why is it then that the first thing a dictatorship, fascist regime, does is censor art and artists? -
I've never heard that. Can you give some examples?
I thought the first thing such people do is disarm the people and kill/imprison their enemies.
Besides, you're suggesting that the purpose of art is to overthrow a government? -
Gosh there is a whole history of regimes doing this, nazi's were classic examples, Poland, Russia, China.
This is just one tiny example.
fcit.usf.edu/HOLOCAUST/arts/artdegen.htm
Any art that was deemed a threat to a regime was censored, still is is many countries. -
"Portal offers an incisive analysis that compares the dictatorial control exerted over artists by North Korean leaders to that of past regimes. She also examines the ways in which archaeology has been employed for political ends to legitimize the present regime."
www.press.uchicago.edu/presssite/metadata.epl?mode=synopsis&bookkey=153907
short essay with examples."The destruction of Tibetan Buddhist art had strong impact on the decline of the religion there. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan went even further by destroying, with artillery fire, two of the largest statues of Buddha in the world in Bamiyan Province."
www.enotes.com/genocide-encyclopedia/art-banned -
"Any art that was deemed a threat to a regime was censored"
*Anything* deemed a threat would be eliminated. Art, religion, history, a person, even an idea.
I'm not saying art would not be censored, at all. I'm saying it's not the *first* thing eliminated. You said: "the first thing a dictatorship, fascist regime, does is censor art and artists".
I just don't agree that art is so powerful an entity that it is targeted *first and foremost* as the most dangerous thing to a dictatorial regime.
If you were a newly minted dictator, which of these two groups would you eliminate first: armed citizenry or artists?
Me, I'd disarm the populace. Those pesky, high-minded artists can be swept away at leisure after that. :-) -
"I'm not saying art would not be censored, at all. I'm saying it's not the *first* thing eliminated. You said: "the first thing a dictatorship, fascist regime, does is censor art and artists"."
It is not a matter of whether you agree with me or not, historic examples are pretty clear
"In 1937, Nazi officials purged German museums of works the Party considered to be degenerate."
"The years 1927-37 were critical for artists in Germany. In 1927, the National Socialist Society for German Culture was formed. The aim of this organization was to halt the "corruption of art" and inform the people about the relationship between race and art."
"I just don't agree that art is so powerful an entity that it is targeted *first and foremost* as the most dangerous thing to a dictatorial regime."
Again that isn't a matter of my personal opinion, I am just sharing that some regimes view it as such. Why do you think the Taliban banned art,movies, music?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban#Life_under_the_Taliban_regime
"Me, I'd disarm the populace. Those pesky, high-minded artists can be swept away at leisure after that. :-)"
But we are not talking about you or me. You wanted examples of how regimes view art and what they choose to do about it. Art seems to have enough power for regimes to spend time suppressing it, and creating ministries to control it. -
"It is not a matter of whether you agree with me or not, historic examples are pretty clear"
Maybe I missed it, but I don't see anywhere in that information where it says/explains that art was the *first* target. There is no argument from me that art was/is targeted. But then, a lot of things were/are targeted as much so as art. I just still haven't seen evidence that it was the first thing targeted, as you initially claimed. -
If you are now agreeing that art is the target for censorship, and in many cases it is the first thing a new regime does (I provided several examples), then how can you argue that art has no intrinsic value?
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And by the way, in case I was misunderstood, I only said art has no intrinsic purpose. I did not say it had no value or effect.
Edit: You responded right before I posted, and I see you did misunderstand me. -
"If you are now agreeing that art is the target for censorship, and in many cases it is the first thing a new regime does (I provided several examples), then how can you argue that art has no intrinsic value?"
I never said art was not targeted, and I never said it had no value.
I said art has no intrinsic *purpose*, and it was/is not targeted *first*.
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For the viewing public or for the person creating art?
Does it have to have a singular purpose? Seems to me that throughout history it's purpose ranges from one of religious instruction for illiterate masses, to propaganda, advertizing, to decoration and status. -
Art is just a way we express ourselves is like talking.-
That's is basically how I view it. I have a need to process ideas, issues and then put them into a visual form of communication.
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Exactly and as in every language you need some basic knowledge to express your ideas.
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Art is a way for the artist to express him/her-self...and the art itself inspires us. -
I'll agree with Bullgrit and Oscar Wilde on this one: "All art is quite useless."-
And therein lies its beauty.
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Nothing useless is, or low;
Each thing in its place is best;
And what seems but idle show
Strengthens and supports the rest.
A little quote from Longfellow.
(The Builders) -
Purpose of art? To communicate. To one's self. To others. To find rhythm. Somehow repeat it. Display it. So others may recognize. Move to it. In shape. In form. In context. In color. In movement. In sound. Dance, music, painting, acting, writing - each artist searches for his own medium, his own form of organization and expression.
Pollack saw rhythm in chaos. He confined it. Placed it in two-dimensions. Within a framed form. A tree branch slapping against the trunk can trigger a drum beat. A prayer for successful hunting can be transferred into images on the cave wall. A fleeting face seen in a looming cloud can become frozen in time with paints of color. A gesture of friendship can become a stylist movement of dance. The sound of a night bird can become a lullaby. And on and on and thankfully on.
All of us react to such. For some of us, the need, the search becomes more intent. What triggers such need is continually debated, as seen in discussion groups here.
Unlike craft, art has no predefined definition. Some crafts can become art - such as architecture - but no matter how beautiful the structure is, it must stand. A sword, no matter how beautifully designed, must maintain its edge. Art has no limits. No pre-set guides. Of course such limits have historically been tried to be set for "art" but a new inquirer, a new need, a new vision always breaks the rules. (And again, some critics hope to freeze it there.)
Art will continue. It is part of us. Where there is consciousness there is awareness. And awareness seizes on rhythm. Order. To decipher it. And somehow, someway, reach out to others and pass it on.
{hmm...You are startin' to sound a little preachy," the Muse muses.
"So?" the artist replied, his chin up, back straight, elbows out, hands confidently resting into fists at his side.) -
I think that when work is done in an attractive way, e.g. pleasing architecture or decorated earthenware, then you have art with a purpose.-
@DougP. I agree. But even earthenware has a prior requirement. If it cracks the moment water is poured it is not good earthenware. If such is not a consideration, then it is more properly defined as sculpture. Which is an art. A long ago short story about Picasso. The writer observes him intently drawing with a stick in the sand on the beach. It is as intricate as his most noted works. But all disappears when the tide comes in. Was it art? Yes. Did it have to last? Meet a pre-defined definition? No. As started, craft has certain requirements. Art does not.
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I quote vonnegut a lot, but I like his perspective on art and its use in society:
The practice of art isn't to make a living. It's to make your soul grow.
I sometimes wondered what the use of any of the arts was. The best thing I could come up with was what I call the canary in the coal mine theory of the arts. This theory says that artists are useful to society because they are so sensitive. They are super-sensitive. They keel over like canaries in poison coal mines long before more robust types realize that there is any danger whatsoever.-
Yes! Holy crap, yes! I love this. Artists are the canaries in our societal coal mine.
What a sucky job, though.
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The purpose of art is an "attempt" to capture the essence of life/nature on to your canvas, notepad, music etc -
Art Inspires -
Writing, to me, is a game. A pleasant way to fritter away the hours. Each sentence is like a puzzle I'm trying to solve. A puzzle that always has a couple of pieces missing. A puzzle I created for no other reason than to amuse myself and others, like me, looking for some engrossing distraction.
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What is the purpose of art?
To me, art works at a level beyond words. Older than thoughts. Broader than a touch. Art spreads a feeling out among people, across time. Connecting us with each other, with the unknown, with God. To me, the purpose of art is to help. Help the artist survive. Help those who view the art to know there is something more. The purpose of art is to elevate us.
Melissa -
it depends on the person for me its a way to lose myself yet bring myself back to whats important -
If art had a purpose, it wouldn't be free. It would be a slave to that purpose.
So I guess what I'm saying is this: Freedom is not the purpose of art. Art is freedom. -
And, paradoxically, I want to say that I agree with ALL these interpretations of art.
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Give me ambiguity or give me something else!
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Precisely!
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To express emotion. -
I don't think art needs a purpose. I think it is enough that it simply exists.-
Yep!!!
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touch hearts -
Art, to me, is a form of expression and communication. It makes life enjoyable. -
Let me ask you a question Bullgrit. If you believe art has no intrinsic value why would Hitler, Stalin, taliban, and other countries past and present have an need to censor it, destroy it, or use it (for religious or political reasons)?
www.cljdesign.com/articles/propaganda.html
"Christianity pursued a propaganda program steeped in visual media. Paintings, sculpture, architecture had been used to disseminate the word of God and educate illiterate people in the ways of the Church."
www.students.sbc.edu/mckinney03/gmm/propaganda.htm
"A blatant use of art as a tool of the state."
sitemaker.umich.edu/artunderfascism/propaganda-
I just noticed this reply down here.
"Let me ask you a question Bullgrit. If you believe art has no intrinsic value..."
I never said or suggested any such thing. -
Oh right, you said "Art has no intrinsic purpose."
so my question still stands. -
"Oh right, you said "Art has no intrinsic purpose.""
-- That's right. And others have said that here, too.
"so my question still stands."
-- Your question (editing it to reflect what I actually said):
"If you believe art has no intrinsic [purpose] why would Hitler, Stalin, taliban, and other countries past and present have an need to censor it, destroy it, or use it (for religious or political reasons)?"
-- With the change in premise, the question makes no sense. The premise and question are unrelated. It's like asking, if oranges are not red, why am I eating a pear? -
And for the record, I'd like to point out that Godwin's law has been fulfilled in this thread. :-)
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lenin actually advocated reading among the largely illiterate peasant and urban masses and advanced certain works of literature...especially those that were socially motivated: i'm guessing books written by balzac and zola. by the early 1930s, under stalin, all innovations of the 20s were quickly suppressed and substituted for socialist realism. whether one calls socialist realism art is another question, but most would say that it isn't precisely because it has a purpose...in this case, political.
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@jafabrit. A very good point. Art has a vital, essential contribution to human consciousness. In preliterate societies it was a primary means of communication. From cave paintings to Stonehenge and onward.
One might say even "literacy" is due to art. People speak. Then those within the tribe with a "visual/art" sense or conception, created symbols for critical words. Finally, even symbols for individual sounds (letters) were created. Giving us our alphabets.
Art, the ability to visualize, organize, symbolize all emotions and experiences is at the core of human consciousness. -
I Have Grown Up Believing A Self Defined Notion, That A Piece Of Art, Or Literature, Even Philosophy, May Not Provide A Answer, But If It Raises A Radical Question, There Lies It's Success, And The Success, Of The Author.
Eventually, It Is These Radical Questions Which Have Been Thought Over, Pondered Over, & Interpreted Over, In Numerous Ways, For Years, That We Know Today - What-ever We Know Today, Of The Past!
The Purpose, The Meaning, The Sense, May Not Be A Defined, But, Certainly The Differ.
It Is Funny Indeed, But Sometimes, There Is Nothing Any Romantic About The "Why", But Everything Is Passionate About The "How"! And Now Let Us Drown Ourselves In Some Kind Of "What", For The Poor Generation Next. -
to entertain -
Why would it only have one purpose? -
To give critics something to do. -
Godwin's law! That is funny.
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to relax
canigetinfo.com -
I don't think art has an inherent purpose. That's not to say that it doesn't serve purposes, just that it isn't created to serve a single generic purpose.
Personally, I like art to be beautiful or define beauty in some way. Since beauty is relative, that pretty much means anything ;D -
love. -
Great posts, Rivy! You nailed it! -
to inspire questions like these
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yes, and fun to explore how many ways art is seen or used and for what.
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To provoke a response, to make you think or feel something. Failing that, it should at least entertain! -
"One of the most characteristic creations of Tibetan Buddhist art are the mandalas, diagrams of a "divine temple" made of a circle enclosing a square, the purpose of which is to help Buddhist devotees focus their attention through meditation and follow the path to the central image of the Buddha."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_art
"Much of Tibet’s great art was either destroyed by Communists, particularly in the Cultural Revolution"
factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=204&catid=6&subcatid=36 -
Though art is not essential for living, it reveals what makes us essentially human: both the beauty and ugliness of humanity. -
The purpose of art is to move people--in whatever way it does. -
The purpose of a painting is to say more than an image can say.
The purpose of music is to say more than notes can say.
The purpose of a poem is to say more than words can say.
It is to go beyond the feeble limitations of line and sound and text: it is to describe what is beyond description. Human beings use language and are limited by it - art helps us to overcome. -
beautiful blog there! i think it is mostly for self expression. but others use it as a form of communication. i think art is there so that we can do something wonderful...which makes us human after all. -
Art is a finger pointing at the moon.
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Dont look at the finger!!
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I like Melinda's answer best. The purpose of art is to move people. (Though honestly I think this question would be better suited to a 100,000 word doctoral dissertation than a discussion thread
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Thank you, everyone for all of the interesting responses! I am so glad I asked.
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Art seems to try to bring everything emotional and beautiful to often a ninth degree, but only a naturally gifted person could fully appreciate it as such. -
Art is good!
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There are at least 5 degrees of art
1. False art (imitation)
2. Formal art (eclectic)
3. Naturalistic art or Realistic art
4. Imaginative art
5. Absolute or Abstract art
Then there is fine art or high art
The primary purpose is expression -
The purpose of art is to drive me to the brink of insanity in the process of it's creation.
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