Monday 17 November 2014

What is Art To You?

I spotted a little notice this morning with a question - 'What is art to you?' and an email address: ed2g13@soton.ac.uk

Here's how I replied:

"Art is about shared experience. It is a way of being in the world, a way of expressing something to other people about the experience of being human, hoping to connect soul to soul.


So for me:
If there is no audience, it isn't art. (The audience may be oneself, or God, if the artist believes in her.)
If it isn't true to the artist's experience, it isn't art.
If it is made as product or commodity, it isn't art.
If it isn't straining to attain the best possible expression of the artist's idea, using all the necessary skills and energy they possess, it isn't art."

I didn't know this was what I thought until I wrote it down. There may be better ideas, which are still incubating. 

Perhaps you would like to email 'ed2g13' to say what 'art' means to you:ed2g13@soton.ac.uk