What Is Art?

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Art is something that a clear definition for is almost impossible. Due to the fact that art is very open for interpretation, it is difficult for someone to simply say that one thing is art and another is not.
The dictionary definition, as found in the New Oxford American dictionary, defines art to be;

“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.”

This is a very simple definition of art, in in truth, defining ‘art’ as a whole, is not so clear.

Art comes in many shapes and forms; there is many ways that of which one can create art, and there are many different opinions on what is ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ art. Art is, as a lot of things are, open for interpretation, and some people may see a work of art as positive or negative depending on their own opinion and what they like in a piece of work.

There are many different types of art, although, a piece of work may not necessarily fit into a definite category. Artists quiet often try to push boundaries and challenge what art is in their work, thus making it difficult in some cases to distinguish what a piece of art is.

Over the course of time, art has developed away from the traditional paintings and sculptures originally created, into a manifestation of expression that uses a variety of different mediums and concepts to become a controversial industry. Art can be seen in modern days as a form of expression of which artists use to make statements about the modern world around them and issues of which are occurring. Many artists use their art to make a comment on current world issues which they feel are important and this can quiet often cause controversy as seen with pieces such as David Cerny’s work ‘Shark,’ (see figure one) which was a

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