5 - Hannah Perez-Postman, defining art

Art can be images, sounds, movements, words that appeal to the senses, and those who perceive the art through these senses then become aware of the rich and detailed world created by their perception. Far from being simply pleasurable to the senses, art can inspire those who perceive it to contemplate their own worlds in new light.

I find it pretty difficult to resist giving a broad, somewhat vague definition of art but thats because it can encompass such a broad range of meanings that often contradict one another. I think part of the difficulty in defining art is that art, because its meaning is largely derived from the human perception of it, suggests that definitions often fail to capture the complexity of life and often distract from the individual’s total comprehension of his/her inner and outer world.This painting at the top was done by 4 year old Marla Olmstead. Her work raised a lot of controversy and led many to question whether a four year old is capable of making true art...and many suspected that she had assistance with her painting. Her situation raises questions of ownership and moral obligation to the definition of art. While I do find her painting interesting, and moving in some ways, what attracts me to it most is the questions it raises about how to define both art and the artist and whether a painting can still be considered art if it is presented under false pretenses.

In addition, I feel that the definitions of art shift so constantly that it is impossible to define it as anything other than transitory. That being said, there is still a sense of beauty in art that comes from struggle (by the artist and/or the viewer) to understand and locate one’s place in their world through the world the art creates.

The painting below, by artist Salvador Dali is a surrealist painting entitled "Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee Around a Pomegranate a Second Before Waking" and is one that continues to fascinate and move me and I consider it art because the world that Dali has created in the painting is one in which the fantastic is brought to life, inspired by the very commonplace buzzing of a bee during a nap.