Even though I have considered myself an Artist ever since I was able to pick up a crayon, I have only recently begun to understand what Art truly is, and what it means to me, personally.
In the Spring of 2016, my brother, Casey, took a college course on Contemporary Art. He hated it (at the time). He would call me several times a week complaining about how annoying it was to have to write an essay about some guy who decided to drag an actual, real urinal into an Art museum. I agreed with him, of course. Who would pay to submit a urinal into an art exhibit and think to call it Art? And furthermore, why on the Earth would college students be studying this guy in an Art class an entire century later?
His name was Marcel Duchamp. In April of 1917, he submitted an inverted urinal, yes a piece of plumbing, into the Society of Independent Artists in New York. He called it “Fountain” and on it, he wrote R. Mutt 1917.
What was he thinking putting a urinal in an art museum? Maybe he thought Art had become too pretentious and exclusive. Maybe he wanted to get a good laugh. Or maybe he just wanted to see if he could get away with it.
It wasn’t without struggle, but he ultimately did get away with it. Because here I am writing about him.
You have to remember, though, it was not about the urinal, it was never about the urinal. It was about what it represented. Art is the very idea of how far we can push the limits of what we consider to be Art. What is Art anyway?
Art is not about how “beautiful” something looks. It is not about how much a piece is worth. It is not about fame, ability, or class.
It’s human nature to be an Artist. We’ve been drawing on walls, creating decorative pottery, and carving things simply from wood for thousands of years. We keep finding new ways to make art, like photography, for example, or electric music. In finding new ways to create, who’s to decide what is and what isn't Art?
Well, frankly, nobody can decide. To me, however, everything is Art and everyone is an Artist. Some of us embrace it more than others, but that’s okay. The way I see it, not “participating” in Art is just as Artistic as actively participating. So everyone is effectively participating at all times.
I don’t believe anyone when they tell me that they aren’t Artistic. Usually what they mean is that they are bad at drawing or they aren’t visually creative. Sure, some express their Art through the “traditional” media, like painting, music, or sculpting.
But guess what? You don’t have to be a great painter to be an Artist, because others express their Artistic abilities through non-traditional Art forms like mathematics, computer programming, or communications.
I have a newfound appreciation for Art and life itself with this new understanding of what Art means to me, and I want others to be able to appreciate it just as much.
Next time you see a tattoo, an equation, a topographical map, a block of cheese, a computer, a shirt, a garden (I could go on forever), ask yourself, “Is it Art?”
I can tell you now, the answer will be, “Yes it is.”
Δ Abbi