Art, which can include paintings, sculptures, drawings and literature, can communicate ideas and emotions that words can’t. It can even help us understand each other.
It can inspire us to see the world differently and to dream about possibilities. And it can teach us about cultures that may be far different from our own. But what is it, exactly? And how do we know whether something qualifies as art?
The answers to these questions are more complex than one might think. A few basic functions of art are identified by philosophers and scholars:
Communication. This includes illustrative arts, such as scientific diagrams or maps. It also involves communicating moods, emotions and feelings. Examples of this would be a painting or drawing inspired by a loved one who has passed away, or a piece depicting a fictional conflict between lovers. The art movements that seek to convey these things are sometimes called avant-garde art.
Beauty. This is an experience of balance and harmony that transcends utilitarianism. It’s an aspect of human nature that we can’t always articulate, but which we feel when we see a well-executed symphony or a stunning sunset.
Meaning. The creation of art allows us to express ourselves in ways that aren’t restricted by the constraints of grammar. This means expressing feelings, thoughts and ideas that can’t be expressed through words, but that can nonetheless be appreciated by others. It also provides a way to explore our imaginations and create new, symbolic forms that we can’t find in nature.
In the history of art, there has been a great deal of debate about what constitutes art. Some people believe that art is anything that is made with skill, while others maintain that it must be a particular sort of object. Still others define it by the subject matter or by the purpose for which it is created.
During the Romantic period of the 19th century, artists began to praise nature and spirituality, and to glorify free expression. This was a counterbalance to the Enlightenment emphasis on science and empirical evidence. It was also around this time that the distinction between secular and religious themes started to disappear in art. Portraits of real people began to appear alongside images of gods and goddesses.
In the early 20th century, the Dada artist Marcel Duchamp challenged a number of institutions that dictated what could be considered art. His submission of a porcelain urinal to a public exhibition was a statement that anyone who could make something he or she considered an artwork had the right to display it. This was a fundamentally different concept of art, and sparked a new debate. Some philosophers and art critics have argued that the new definition is flawed, as it only seems to affirm that objects can become art by a simple act of experts conferring that status on them. Other philosophers argue that the new universe of discourse introduced by this approach enables arguments for what is and isn’t art that might not have been possible in the old, enumerative social kinds (Danto). The debate continues.