By Sabine Pierce-Jones Year 10
Are there types of art that can even be considered art? This is a question that is constantly brought up when looking at contemporary art. To consider this question, we first have to ask ourselves “What is art?” then “What is contemporary art?” and finally “how do these correspond to each other?” Art is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power”. To me, art is anything that has a story behind it or creates an impact. It does not necessarily need to be beautiful. This seems true to me since beauty is subjective, meaning it depends on your personal feelings, taste, or opinions. However what should and should not be considered art should not solely rely on your own taste, but the emotion it conveys or the story it tells.
A question that is often asked is “What makes something beautiful?”. In a study conducted by Semir Zeki, neuroaesthetics was used to understand our perception and response to beauty. The research discovered that certain parts of the brain become more active when we see the things that we find visually pleasing. When we see something we think is beautiful, blood flow increases in the medial orbital frontal cortex which causes a release of dopamine. This is why we like looking at beautiful things; it makes us happy. Another way in which beauty’s subjectivity was tested was in a 2007 study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology which examined the physiological effects of colours. They looked into how the brain is affected by beauty and what is subjectively visually pleasant by studying the effects of colours (red, blue and green) on emotions. The results were that red caused them anxiety, green was considered soothing, while blue had a calming effect on these subjects. Once again colours are completely subjective, just like art, but generally, people have a consistent association with these colours. This supports the notion that things can be considered universally beautiful. However, how we perceive colour can be contrasting for different cultures, for example, green is perceived as lucky in western cultures whereas in South America the colour represents death. This brings us back to how beauty is completely subjective, as it depends on your culture and personal experience.
Since beauty is subjective, most people ask “is this even art” because they’re own personal feelings, taste, or opinions are against the piece itself, making it appear ugly to them. I disagree with this notion because whether or not something is art shouldn’t rely on anyone’s personal preferences of what beauty is or is not.
Contemporary art is described as “the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century”. This is a type of art, a form of expression through creativity, but specifically made in the 20th-21st century. The question, therefore, “can contemporary art be considered art?” is really a misconception because the question itself doesn’t make sense. It is like asking: can art be art? The real question people want to ask is “is this good art?”. Most people don’t know how to approach this art, especially when it comes to a few lines or a blob on a canvas. Since art is completely dependent on your own feelings, it comes down to you. The art represents what the artist is trying to express through creating it. So if you ever find yourself asking “is this good art?” ask yourself “How does this speak to me? Does this interest me? Do I want to know more?” You then will find yourself in a meaningful exchange, or dialogue with the piece and the artist themselves. If the piece shows what the artist is expressing through their art, ask yourself “Does it say something? Is it about something?” if the answer is yes then ask yourself “Does the artist do this, express this convincingly; Do they really know their craft? Do they know their subject? Do they know what they are saying?”. Finally, if your answer to these questions is mainly yes, then the answer to your first question “is this good art” is probably yes.
