Hilary Alvey
September 13, 2011
Art 291 w
What is Art?
When looking at a work of art, or working on becoming an artist, you begin to ask yourself, “What is art?” To me art is a form of expression, and through my experience I have been able to come up with three ideas that make something a piece of art. First, art is a creation made to provoke emotion, or also known as expressionism. Second, art can be something made to represent an idea or belief. Third, a work of art needs to be created by an artist that puts time and effort into the piece. These three principles are the building blocks to what makes something art. To be clear, a work of art does not need to use all three of these principles to prove itself. In order for something to be considered art it needs to include one of these three ideas.
My first point, that art is a creation to provoke emotion, falls into a category of art called expressionism. An artist that would fit into this category would be Vincent Van Gogh. A lot of artists during this time “…assumed that the chief function of art was to express their intense feelings to the world.”[1] When I think of Van Gogh, I think of his piece “Starry Night”.
While looking at this artwork I feel calm, cool, and mesmerized. The artist does this through his color usage, brushstrokes, and composition. This is important because it allows the audience to connect with the piece. They can relate to the feelings it portrays, and the piece can make them think about what mind frame the artist was in while making it. When an artwork creates an emotion, and makes people think, and it makes them want to look at the piece more and learn about it. So then it becomes a successful work of art because the artist expresses themselves through a work of art, and allows the audience to relate to the emotions and thoughts that the artist was feeling. Van Gogh produced highly expressionist paintings the last few years of his life which represented his reflected his increasing depression. Expressionism is important because the audience connects to the piece in another way than just liking the work of art. They can relate to the piece from having felt the shown emotion or through sympathy for the artist.
Next, art can be something that represents an idea or belief. An artwork can portray a popular or unpopular belief at the time to get reactions from an audience. For example, The Sistine Chapel paintings by Michelangelo were created to glorify the church and scripture from the Bible. 
These beautiful works of art made people think about where they believed, about the way they lived, and if they were doing what was right to help them in the afterlife. This type of art moves people on a completely different level than just emotion. The art connects with their lifestyles, and everyday ideas. Even though the Sistine Chapel may not have portrayed Michelangelo’s beliefs, it was a successful piece for the church. The works of art in the church probably made more people attend. With Michelangelo’s beautiful imagery, it probably drew people in because that is the way they want Heaven to be. So this would make people want to go to the church more often, and donate money, so they could get into this beautiful atmosphere the artist has created. In a way the work is like a advertisement for Heaven. The Sistine Chapel is a wonderful example of work showing a popular belief at the time. This is when the church was rising and kind of controlling the way people worshipped. Michelangelo was a great sculpture, and actually did not want to paint the chapel.[2] However, while looking at the beauty of his realistic images, you could not tell that this was something that he did not want to do. This shows that artists can be moved and take in information to create a masterpiece to represent something that is a popular belief.
These beautiful works of art made people think about where they believed, about the way they lived, and if they were doing what was right to help them in the afterlife. This type of art moves people on a completely different level than just emotion. The art connects with their lifestyles, and everyday ideas. Even though the Sistine Chapel may not have portrayed Michelangelo’s beliefs, it was a successful piece for the church. The works of art in the church probably made more people attend. With Michelangelo’s beautiful imagery, it probably drew people in because that is the way they want Heaven to be. So this would make people want to go to the church more often, and donate money, so they could get into this beautiful atmosphere the artist has created. In a way the work is like a advertisement for Heaven. The Sistine Chapel is a wonderful example of work showing a popular belief at the time. This is when the church was rising and kind of controlling the way people worshipped. Michelangelo was a great sculpture, and actually did not want to paint the chapel.[2] However, while looking at the beauty of his realistic images, you could not tell that this was something that he did not want to do. This shows that artists can be moved and take in information to create a masterpiece to represent something that is a popular belief. Finally, for something to be called a work of art it needs to be created by an artist that puts time and effort into the piece. In other words, there needs to be some craft. For an artist to create a great work of art they need to be a master of their craft. When art is created this way, it is more likely to become respected and appreciated. Art is something that expresses ones thoughts, feelings, ideas, representations, etc. Therefore they should really work and put time into it. Andy Goldsworthy is someone who does just this. 
Even though his pieces are temporary, he puts a lot of preparation into his pieces. He uses all natural substances for his sculptures. Goldsworthy takes the time to study nature, collect materials he desires, and then create a work of art. He states “I want my art to be sensitive and alert to changes in material, season and weather. Each work grows, stays, decays. Process and decay are implicit. Transience in my work reflects what I find in nature." [3]This shows the thought that he puts into each piece. When you look at the work he creates you can tell how much craft and hard work he puts into his pieces. With this his artwork is interesting, inspiring, and incredible. To me, his work shows how important it is for art to be created with craft.
Even though his pieces are temporary, he puts a lot of preparation into his pieces. He uses all natural substances for his sculptures. Goldsworthy takes the time to study nature, collect materials he desires, and then create a work of art. He states “I want my art to be sensitive and alert to changes in material, season and weather. Each work grows, stays, decays. Process and decay are implicit. Transience in my work reflects what I find in nature." [3]This shows the thought that he puts into each piece. When you look at the work he creates you can tell how much craft and hard work he puts into his pieces. With this his artwork is interesting, inspiring, and incredible. To me, his work shows how important it is for art to be created with craft. In conclusion, art is a form of expression that needs one of three principles to be considered art. Art must provoke emotion and thought. This makes it relatable to the audience, because they have experienced the thoughts and emotions shown in the piece. They think back to times that they have felt a certain emotion, and can feel sympathetic for the artist. I feel like expressionism is the most important part of art, because it is the most relatable. Art can be something made to represent an idea or belief. This can stir up emotions and get people to agree or disagree with the piece. It is a good way for an audience to relate to a great work of art. Art should make you think. This makes the artwork something people can discuss and try to see where the artist is coming from, and find out where they themselves stand on certain issues. Art is also something that is created by an artist who puts time and effort into a piece. This makes the artwork stronger and more affective. The detail would move the audience and make them appreciate the artist’s creativity. I believe art is a form of expression, and there are certain building blocks behind it.
[1] Museum Quality, "Expressionistic Movements." Last modified 2007. Accessed September 7, 2011. http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/C20th/expressionism.htm.
[2] Fay, Theresa. "The Sistine Chapel." Accessed September 7, 2011. http://www.svcc.edu/academics/classes/murray/Ezine/sistine.html
[3] Morning Earth, "Artist/Naturalist Andy Goldsworthy." Accessed September 7, 2011.
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