Art is what it is
By David Dobbs
Where does one begin when defining art? We have thousands of art critics who are happy to give their opinions on style, creativity, inspiration, and even brush technique, based on basic knowledge of the artist, but without knowing the artist or the real reason for their inspiration, it is difficult to give an accurate and reasonable artistic interpretation.
As a lover of art, I appreciate art for what it is and prefer to give my opinions on what I see, and not on what I know. The art periods that have influenced artists for the last 1000 years have produced works that were admired and appreciated by most of their target audience at that specific time. Art seemed to be following a predetermined course and although the subject matter was changing, the visual quality remained quite stable. However, things seemed to change with the advent of Symbolism in the late 19th century.
Symbolism produced changes, more focus was on the impact of the picture/subject material than on the actual quality of the representation. The pure realism of paintings was replaced by new concepts of styles and influential painters such as Van Goch, Seurat, Monet, Degas, and Renoir, in my opinion, were influential in the creativity of modern art as we know it today.
The beginning of the 20th century brought more changes to the art scene with expressionism leading the way with new ideas of artistic design and bold colour concepts. Personally, this was my type of art as I like anything that shows creativity. In the late 50s and 60s, Pop Art and Andy Warhol bounced onto the scene with consumerist design and creative variations, opening new doors for modern artists. Art has jumped off the canvas and it is continuing its journey with creative styles and forms all around us. Take a look at Banksy’s work to see how far we have come.
In the coming months, I will be writing my view on various pieces of art.
David Dobbs is a writer of short stories, poetry, and interesting and thought provoking texts. He loves to go out and photograph the world as he sees it, occasionally, adding his own creative elements to enhance the picture. When the inspiration grabs him, he is known to paint as well. More about David here.
