Art or not?

[Unorthodox]

You can vote for two. 




Because, apparently it's an issue. 

http://www.cityweekly.net/TheDailyFeed/archives/2016/03/28/utahcom-insert-is-modern-art-a-joke

Some guy with a tractor dumps a million tons of basalt in some cutesy circle in the middle of nowhere, and we're all supposed to, what? Clap, or something? ... Go at sunset and watch a pink sun sink into a raspberry-lemonade inland sea, experiencing the marrow of what it means to be human? Pshaw, your kid could do that. Well, if your kid had a tractor, which he will never have, because you don't want him to become a modern artist.

[Buster's Uncle]

Not enough info here to comment very intelligently - except to observe that many things are improved by a hot chick.

[Unorthodox]

What would you like info on?  I wrote about it last year...let me see if I can find the link. 

[Buster's Uncle]

Well - was it intended as art for one thing...

[Unorthodox]

Well - was it intended as art for one thing...

Yep:

http://www.diaart.org/sites/main/spiraljetty

Our visit last year:
http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=1295.msg71896#msg71896

[Buster's Uncle]

Well, it doesn't make it sophisticated art or great art, necessarily, but I think artistic intention does make something art - otherwise Roy Lichtenstein is nothing but a thief.

If I drew a spiral on paper, we might argue about how good it was, but not whether it was some sort of art...

[Rusty Edge]

Does it make the transitory permanent? Does it interact with our memories, emotions and imaginations to produce beauty and truth in our hearts and minds?

An artist without admirers is like a king without a kingdom, just wishful thinking.

To me, somebody just contaminated the salt with rocks.

On the other hand... Any photo with a redheaded woman, even an elective redhead, probably qualifies. There's a Tabernacle in the Washington DC area. It was framed by a railroad bridge as viewed from the beltway. Somebody climbed up on the bridge and painted the words "Surrender Dorothy". That's concept art. Now if this spiral were made out of yellow paving bricks and pointed in the direction of the Tabernacle...

[Buster's Uncle]

Nice ideas.

I dunno, though; it inspired Uno to make a thread asking - it inspired him to add a cute redhead and do photography art.  Inspirational is one of those qualities at issue, after all.

And your points speak more to whether it's any good, not whether someone went to trouble to craft a decorative thing - god or not, it is that.

[Rusty Edge]

Well, I think there's some threshold of success or failure. My intent to make the lawn sprinkler system functional again doesn't make it so.

An intent to cook doesn't make something edible, or even safe.

An intent to make music doesn't necessarily put sounds on the safe side of the threshold of pain. Sure, the intent factors into the responsibility for damages.

Where there is intent without success, I think it's more like experimentation or practice and exercise than art.

[Buster's Uncle]

That's still a whether or not it's any good argument.  The lawnmover either gets fixed or not - it's not a matter of opinion.  Art is, and a much more nebulous thing.  For what it's worth, I kinda like the spiral.

[Unorthodox]

I'm not sure what I build would classify as "art", either, to be honest. 

A couple of pieces I SPECIFICALLY designed to appeal to the larger population, maybe.  But, most of it is just crap I want to do, let others see it how they want. 

[Rusty Edge]

That's still a whether or not it's any good argument.  The lawnmover either gets fixed or not - it's not a matter of opinion.  Art is, and a much more nebulous thing.  For what it's worth, I kinda like the spiral.

To my way of thinking, it doesn't have to speak to me personally to qualify as art. If it speaks to others it meets my threshold. Then we can argue about how good it is... but as you know, I'd really rather not argue on the internet. I usually regret it.

[Lorizael]

I am extraordinarily well qualified to determine whether or not I think a piece of art is crap. I'm not sure I'm at all qualified to determine whether or not a piece is art.

[Valka]

It's not art unless it's meant as a future location for a Doctor Who episode.

[Buster's Uncle]

It DOES totally look like a future location for a Doctor Who episode.