The Subjectivity Of Art Critical Thinkings Example

1) Art is definitely a skill. In order to achieve an effect in the visual arts, one must know what one is doing. This requires skill in their medium. If one is painting or drawing, skill with a brush, pencil, or charcoal is a necessity. Most viewers will be able to discern between a work of art that is amateurish in style versus a work that is rendered by a skilled artist.
2) Art is a concept insofar as it stimulates its viewers to think about the world they live in. Thus, art is a concept that attempts to manipulate our preconceived ideas and notions about everyday ideas we may hold about our experiences with reality. As a concept, successful art is able to change or transform our limited, static ideas about reality.
3) Art is definitely not anything that anyone can do. First, art requires the will to do. Secondly, it requires skill. Whether that skill is obtained through self-training or academic training is inconsequential. Art is a skill that must be applied by a person who is interested, dedicated, and skilled in his craft. An artist is something that only an artist can do. In other words, art is something that can only be done by someone who has a unique perception of what they see.
4) The visual artist brings meaning to the viewer. I disagree with this statement because it is the other way around. The meaning is within the viewer. The visual artist evokes meaning by his perception of reality. Thus, everyone has their own relative experience of an artistic work.
5) Originality is not the cornerstone of art because a visual artist can be somewhat of a copycat, but still achieve an effect with his viewer(s). However, the best art is original. The best art is unique, and challenges its viewer unlike familiar representations.
6) Art can be anything that is manipulated by an artist to achieve a certain psychological effect. Thus, art can be music, drama, writing, or come from many other disciplines, so long as it is able to achieve an effect on its viewer by challenging their ideas and senses.
7) An artist touches his artwork. Certainly, an artist leaves his own personal touch on a piece of art. Thus, art is not a mass-produced item. It contains the personal touch of an individual, a touch which attempts to speak intimately to its viewer.
8) Art can have a lot to do with science. For example, many of the old masters, as well as many modern painters, knew about proportions (mathematical concepts), and scientific ways to achieve stylistic effects, such as light, contrast, and space. Thus, art can be approached as a science. Science is a way of using mathematics to understand the world, and its interrelationships. Thus, the disciplines of art and science can intersect.
9) Not all art has a message. Some art can be perceived as beautiful or ugly, and does not contain an implicit or explicit message.
10) Art does not necessarily have to be realistic. Some of the greatest artists, such as Picasso or Van Gogh, painted objects that did not closely resemble our notions of reality.
11) The purpose or function of art is to open one's mind to the unique way in which another individual (the artist) perceives reality.
12) A good work of art, to me, looks abstract, and does not resemble anything that could be called "realistic". Painters such as Picasso were able to achieve this effect. By manipulating spatial relationships, his artistic style (cubism) appeals more to my imagination, and "reality" seems more realistic through the eyes of Picasso, especially in "The Weeping Woman".