This may not look like anything that you recognize, but that's the intent! Is it a painting? No, it's not; it's a photograph. Of what? It's meant to puzzle you. It's a reflection of a boat in a harbor. All those shapes and patterns are caused by slight ripples in the water.
Obviously, artists create art. But, what is art? Rembrandt was an artist, for sure; no one will deny that. How about randomly splashing paint onto a canvas? That’s what Jackson Pollock did, and one of his paintings sold for $140 million in 2006. I have a really hard time understanding that.
Marcel Duchamp thought it was for artists to decide what was and what was not a work of art. He presented an upside-down urinal as art; it was one of his first “readymades”, and it changed the art world and how we see art forever.
The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) includes, in its definition of art: “Skill; its display or application.” Well, that’s a pretty broad definition. Does this then include the art of fly fishing for tasty trout to devour for dinner, or the art of wiping out a tribal nation such as the Cherokees? Perhaps I’m being unfair to the OED.
So let’s return to a more traditional viewpoint, and refer to the likes of painting, music, and literature, for example. I believe we are all creative beings but many of us don’t know it until we find an outlet that works for us. Maybe you’ll love basket weaving, sculpting or possibly even organizing crab races. There’s so much to explore! See what art form is up your street…even if it takes two or three attempts. Don’t be too anxious and give up! A small dose of angst never hurt anyone, and it’s well worth the journey!