What Creates Art?
Today, let’s think about what art is. The definition of art varies from person to person, but I suppose whatever is created by humans is art. The oldest work of art ever known is a painting in a cave in Indonesia that was created about 44,000 years ago. It depicts a wild animal being chased by a hunter. Obviously, it described a part of daily life. Such an image, scraped out by humans, can be regarded as art.
What creates art? The answer is the thoughts of the creators. They include emotions, and some may express criticisms of society, while others may show their religious beliefs. Art is the expression of such thoughts over certain events. What gives a work its value, then, is the viewers’ evaluation. Viewers interpret the thoughts expressed in art by artists, and evaluate them from their own artistic perspectives. Some evaluations are shown as appreciation, and others are quantified in the form of a price.
Artists depend on such appreciation and prices to make a living. There may be amateur artists engaging in the act of creation and indifferent to the appreciation. However, even such amateur artists become pleased by a favorable opinion from others. Therefore, the value of art is determined from two perspectives: that of the creators and of the viewers.
Today, let’s think about what art is. The definition of art varies from person to person, but I suppose whatever is created by humans is art. The oldest work of art ever known is a painting in a cave in Indonesia that was created about 44,000 years ago. It depicts a wild animal being chased by a hunter. Obviously, it described a part of daily life. Such an image, scraped out by humans, can be regarded as art.
What creates art? The answer is the thoughts of the creators. They include emotions, and some may express criticisms of society, while others may show their religious beliefs. Art is the expression of such thoughts over certain events. What gives a work its value, then, is the viewers’ evaluation. Viewers interpret the thoughts expressed in art by artists, and evaluate them from their own artistic perspectives. Some evaluations are shown as appreciation, and others are quantified in the form of a price.
Artists depend on such appreciation and prices to make a living. There may be amateur artists engaging in the act of creation and indifferent to the appreciation. However, even such amateur artists become pleased by a favorable opinion from others. Therefore, the value of art is determined from two perspectives: that of the creators and of the viewers.