What is art? Many people argue over the answer to this question. There are several different interpretations as to what is considered to be a work of art. There are also many different types of artwork. Some believe that anything and everything in the world is art, while others believe that it takes talent, creativity, and a preconceived vision to produce true art. I believe that no specific, definite, or concise definition of art exists.
Art can be a reflection of one's idea brought into the world through painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, architecture, and many other ways. Art has been called works of exceptional physical beauty (Stokstad 25). Jillian Treacy said, "Art doesn't have to be beautiful because everyone's idea of beautiful is different, not all ideas are beautifully pleasing to the eye, and not all art is meant to be pretty." Beauty means something different to everyone, and cannot be defined, therefore art cannot be defined.
Some argue that if something is not created with the intention to be art, then it is not art. The origins of art, back in the age of Neanderthals, were drawings on walls. This "artwork"was the best means of communication between human beings and was not originally intended to be art, but today many art historians consider it to be. Silvia Tomaskova said, "Until now, African pottery, wooden carvings and textiles had been viewed essentially as handicraft because they had not been created as art.but at the Royal Academy, objects made by African hands are separated from their cultural context and can be judged simply as art." (qtd. in Rosier). .
To define art, one would have to be able to define the term artist. Jillian Treacy said, "Anyone that can visualize an idea and pursue it to create a work can be considered an artist. A singer, a writer, and a mathematician can all be considered artists." Many artists make artwork for the purpose of stress relief, to express a political or religious belief, or to express their own beliefs or ideas.
