Essay Example on What is art If you ask one hundred random People

What is art If you ask one hundred random people the question what is art there is no doubt that you would receive one hundred different answers and one hundred different definitions The answer to the question what is art is similar to the question Painter and sculptor Victor Hugo Zayas was asked by a group of middle schoolers who is god There are a million different interpretations to the answer because it's such an ambiguous question In my search for the answer to this question I've stumbled across many definitions ranging from dictionary definitions to definition from philosophers to movies directors and producers yet there doesn't seem to be a consensus on the definition of art One dictionary definition of art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual auditory or performing artifacts artworks expressing the author s imaginative or technical skill intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power Oxford Another dictionary defined art as the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power 

The various branches of creative activity such as painting music literature and dance Merriam These two definitions are very similar but at the same time very different Art has been defined by numerous artist one particular interpretation that stands out to me is Leo Tolstoy s in his essay What is Art Tolstoy s writes art is not as the metaphysicians say the manifestation of some mysterious idea of beauty or God it is not as the aesthetical physiologists say a game in which man lets off his excess of stored up energy it is not the expression of man's emotions by external signs it is not the production of pleasing objects and above all it is not pleasure but it is a means of union among men joining them together in the same feelings and indispensable for the life and progress toward well being of individuals and of humanity Popova Tolstoy s answer to the question what is art stands out to me the most simply because I do not agree with it When I try to answer the question what is art two things come to mind One being that is art is an action Art is the act is the physical manifestation of feelings expressed through actions albeit dance painting writing singing so on and so forth It doesn t stop their art is indeed an action but I believe that one word to describe art an umbrella term that can take all of the ambiguity out of the question what is art is beauty 

Art is beauty but not in the dictionary sense that a combination of qualities such as shape color or form that pleases the aesthetic senses especially the sight Art is beauty in the sense that it s in the eye of the beholder Beauty can be a woman beauty can be a car beauty can be a song beauty can be death or can be seen in death Art is the physical manifestation of one's feelings beauty is the word used to describe those feelings therefore art is beauty Art can be thought of as a symbol of what it means to be human manifested in physical form for others to see and interpret It can serve as a symbol for something that is tangible or for a thought an emotion a feeling or a concept Through peaceful means it can convey the full spectrum of the human experience A few of my favorite artworks include the video game series Metal Gear Solid more specifically the third entry of the series Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater The Metal Gear series was created by Hideo Kojima a Japanese video game designer screenwriter director and producer regarded as an auteur of video games MGS3 is a beautiful story about love war betrayal patriotism and death that takes place during the Cold War in an alternate setting jammed pack with action and adventure Another favorite of mine is Chris Achilleos a painter and illustrator who specializes in fantasy artwork and glamour illustration Achilleos artwork is beautiful to me because of their dark fantasy aspects mixed with glamour and sexuality Of his artworks my favorites are Princess s Favorite 2000 a cheetah painting one of Chris s cat series which has an Egyptian theme they made excellent hunting companions for the men and were favored pets of the women in the palaces The Jupiter Menace 1982 the cover work for a documentary that examines the theory that the world is doomed and nothing can be done about it Seduction 1977 and Eve and the Serpent 1997 Work Cited Art Merriam Webster com Merriam Webster 2011 Web 24 January 2018 Art Definition of art in English by Oxford Dictionaries Oxford Dictionaries English Oxford Dictionaries en oxforddictionaries com definition art Popova Maria What Is Art Favorite Famous Definitions from Antiquity to Today Brain Pickings 17 Sept 2015 www brainpickings org 2012 06 22 what is art