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daerieqrm · 2 years ago

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What the Fuck is Art?

Read it on Medium: https://medium.com/@stardustexpress/what-the-fuck-is-art-87b757fadb3

Here’s the thing, there’s no actual definition of what art truly is. Sure you can look up the dictionary definition and call it a day, but that’s boring. I want you to sit down and ponder about it with me.

Art is subjective. It can mean anything. To some it’s their passion, some would say it’s decoration, and to some it’s a waste of time and money.

During one of my gaming sessions where I would spend hours playing Genshin Impact, I decided to play Nilou’s story quest, To The Wise. I won’t say any major spoilers but the gist of it was the Zubayr Theater receives a notice that the theater will get demolished due to their constant violation of the Akademiya’s rules regarding the performances they put out. Throughout this quest, a particular NPC caught my attention, Khasani.

Khasani was previously an Akademiya scholar pursuing the mastery of art. However, he left this path because the more he pursued its mastery, and the more he became a connoisseur, the more estranged and lost he felt with what art truly is. At some point, he asks you and Nilou what you think the definition of art is and that led me to spiral down into this article.

Now if you were to ask how I define it, I’d say that art is both an escape, and a language.

Many artists refer to their craft as an escape from the burdens of everyday life. In this world full of problems, pressure, and burdens, art becomes a sanctuary. It is a way for you to vent out your emotions, letting yourself get lost in the process and forget about whatever it was that is bothering you.

Art reflects the beauties and horrors there is in life. It serves as an outlet where you can freely express yourself and your thoughts with no limits. It helps us communicate the things that are difficult to talk about, freeing us from the constraints of words and immersing ourselves with the language of color, shapes, and movements. There are no rules in this beautiful world, the only limit truly is your imagination.

Have you ever walked into a museum, an art gallery, or even scrolled through social media, and saw this artwork that just sucked you into a whole different dimension? Like the air was punched out of your lungs the moment you laid eyes to the piece. Or after finishing a good movie/series you feel transported back to the real world after being so immersed in that fictional world? That’s just one way of art serving as a literal, almost physical escape from the real world.

"Art doesn’t discriminate, and it appeals to all. Everyone has the right to appreciate art." -Nilou

Not to be that person who looks down on those who just like art for its visual appeal and aesthetic, albeit some of those people tend to look at art on a surface level and if it doesn’t fit their visual aesthetics, they consider it invaluable. That being said, I personally think that it takes a deeper level of comprehension to understand the true essence of a piece. To see beyond the colors and shapes takes a lot of understanding.

Understanding art is like learning a new language, its mediums are its dialects. With this in mind, asking an artist of a certain medium, like graphic design per se, to animate is like asking a person to speak a language they barely know. Sure they can speak it but it wouldn’t be as fluent and refined as someone who has dedicated their time and effort to study that language.

Just like languages, each medium has its own intricacies and technicalities. It takes a lot of effort to be fluent in one. Seeing people who think that we, artists, can do all mediums with ease is kind of insulting to those who have spent so much to master a medium. Seeing people who look down on artists, using the overused argument that everyone can draw, sew, paint, etc., making their craft seem insignificant, is infuriating.

Art is a language not everyone speaks. Humans tend to devalue and ostracize things they do not understand instead of doing the work to understand one thing better. This is one of the reasons why there is so much backlash against abstract art (i.e. Who’s Afraid of Red by Barnett Newman) and high fashion (Schiaparelli Spring-Summer 2023 couture collection, Inferno).

The thing is, art does not discriminate. People discriminate art just because it’s beyond their understanding.

"The meaning of art comes not from its creators, but from its audience.” - Khasani

Going back to Nilou’s quest, the story received so many negative comments from fans, and many players dislike Nilou because her story is “boring” or her existence in the game is simply for fanservice. People who failed to understand the meaning of the quest, nor Nilou’s existence in the game are the same people who look down on artists and the creative industry. The same people who demand creators to produce more quality work in so little time, yet refuse to pay for an artist’s services. Art is nothing in the eyes of an ignorant man.

At the end of the day, this is just my understanding or how I view art. How you define it is all on you. Life without art is devoid of meaning.

Art surrounds us. From the clothes we wear, the music we listen to, the shows we watch, the games we play, even the packaging of your favorite snack. Failing to see and acknowledge its value takes a lot of ignorance.

Now ask yourself. How do you define art?

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