Your Thoughts On Art

[Alan V]

I would be interested to read forum members' opinions on the fine arts. 

I originally thought of this as a discussion of the visual arts, but if people wish to extend it to literature or other artforms as well, I would certainly be interested in what they have to say.  

I also wanted to read what others wrote before I added my own thoughts about the original questions.

Specifically, what do you think makes great art great? 

There are several criteria people typically apply in the visual arts.  Is the work stylistically innovative?  Does it offer a new way to look at the world or at art itself?  Does it connect with universal human thoughts or emotions?  Is the work technically accomplished?

What artists or specific works are your favorites, and why?

At present, my favorite artists are Claude Monet, Paul Klee, and Andrew Wyeth since I enjoy a large number of each artist's works.  However, my favorite paintings are like time machines in transporting the viewer to different times and places: Leonardo's Mona Lisa, Bruegel's Hunters in the Snow, Avercamp's A Winter Scene with Skaters Near a Castle, Vermeer's The Little Street, Hopper's Early Sunday Morning, Wyeth's Winter 1946, and so on.

What artistic movements are the most appealing to you?

I now find realism most appealing, but I also enjoy specific works across a wide range of styles.  It's just that unusual styles are rather hit and miss when it comes to producing great art.  For instance, Cezanne's style produced some really beautiful landscapes, but his paintings of people made them look like they were made of stone.

Do you think art is more than a variety of entertainment?

If it's good art, it's also entertaining or decorative, and that is the most consistent characteristic of art across styles and subject matter.  However, I also agree that different kinds of art can be important to people at different stages of their lives.  It helps us see the world through different eyes and can therefore help us change as individuals.  That is often why people so strongly identify with specific paintings or styles -- they remember when those were revelations, even if they no longer are.  Habituation is a problem for all human perceptions, including the perception of art.  So what once seemed deeply moving and meaningful can be exhausted later, until only the memory remains.

What purposes should art serve?

The visual arts are a series of techniques employed to draw attention to the artwork, so the first purpose of art is to capture attention.  The techniques used are the exercise of exceptional talent, striking colors and contrasts, drama and emotion, mystery, shock, and so on.  Some art doesn't stray too far from just capturing attention, and actually employs ambiguity so the artwork isn't easily exhausted by its viewers.  Other art has a clear message, but for messages I prefer books, which are typically much more articulate.