What is Art?

[ishraki007]

beautiful concept

loved it.

[Loreleila]

@ishraki007 Thanks :)

[PTFAbedeh]

Art is composed expression (it may convey anything subjective). So, I agree that it can be highly representative or completely abstract. The problem with defining art by whether or not if moves you is that you're restricting art to something that "moves," and moves you specifically. I don't think art has to "move," or make you do anything if it doesn't want to. It might make you think. It might bore you. It doesn't have to be pretty or interesting. But if it's composed and expresses, it's art.

[Loreleila]

@PTFAbedeh Only just found this comment. So anything composed and expresses(?) is art? By anyone, in any context?

[PTFAbedeh]

@Loreleila Anything composed that expresses is art, yes. Art must be made, and an expression by its nature reveals something of our internal life. Yes, by anyone; why should there be people who cannot create art? And yes, in any context. Come up with one thing composed that expresses something subjective that could not be seen as art. Or one thing not composed or expressive that is art. This comment is art. It's not especially valuable in my opinion, or insightful or graceful, but it is art.

[wishes01234]

'Art like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It really depends upon on what lies behind it for you. <--- Strongly agree!

[FizzyCola20]

freaking creepy shit

[dintchleonhart11]

this is the best video so far about what is art... i like how you associated art to beauty since they both depend on the eye of the beholder :)

[Loreleila]

@dintchleonhart11 Thank you. :)

[maquisardi]

I don´t know what it is but I think art has something to do with gay people.

[avalon6090]

I appreciate if you let me know how you animate those images. Its great.

Thank you

Reply to carlocorte@ymail.com

[nemo1588]

I agree there's got to be some form of emotional connection but I don't think sincerity alone is enough to produce worthwhile art. Bad art perhaps. Any form of criticism is inherently subjective. How could it be anything else? We all react to a song, a film or a poem differently. Perhaps the true test of any work of art (or any artist) is whether it (or he or she) stands the test of time. Thanks for posting. As always, very stimulating, and some interesting points made by your contributors .

[Loreleila]

:) You're welcome, and you're right, there are some interesting comments, including yours. Thank you.

[StevenErnest]

This is very insightful -- as usual! You raise many good points. I love the talking figures... but I was hoping to see a talking nude... j/k.

My definition of art: anything you put a frame around. A traditional frame, or a computer screen is also a frame, as are our eyes -- POV.

[Loreleila]

Thanks Steven. :) I didn't want to risk the nude, you know what YT is like. lol I agree with you, but as our eyes are that frame, does it make everything we see art, or only when we look at it with that creative eye?

[Loreleila]

Interesting points, and not ones that have an easy answer, but food for thought. Thanks.

[StarPir1315]

Unique and interesting.

[Loreleila]

Thank you. :)

[Mepamper]

Clever one! You got my attention with the effects.. ;)

[Loreleila]

Thanks! And thanks for subscribing too. :)

[fehquig]

It's all art. This video is art...

[Loreleila]

:-)

[Boucrate]

That's really good digital work. The first lady got me surprise, as I almost hallucinated you in her for a moment lol! Great Job! I rated the day it came out, but YT still though I was drunk so I couldn't comment. ..Hey YT I haven't gotten drunk for over 8 years! lol!

About what is Art? Well no comment;-). Far out work!

[Loreleila]

lol! And thanks. :) YT is getting curiouser and curiouser.....

[2bsirius]

Wonderful! What program did you use?

[Loreleila]

Thanks Karen.  Please see my reply to gratex for the answer (if you can find it :P)

[Nalhovito]

Does a piece of work really have to be inspirational in order to be considered art? All people are almost never inspired by the same things. As for photography, I find it impossible to "mimic reality". The angle, position, color, lighting of a photograph are all choices the auteur has that will create an artistic end result. I don't believe a photograph captures an instant in time, given my interpretation of the meaning of art. Art is expression; I wouldn't take it any further than that.

[Loreleila]

'Does a piece of work really have to be inspirational in order to be considered art?'

Not necessarily, though I think if you are affected by it in some way, however minimal, then it can be considered inspirational.

I wasn't speaking about photos mimicking reality, but a piece of art attempting to look like a photo, therefore mimicking what that kind of image can do. Photography is, as you make clear, a whole different issue all its own.

Art as expression makes life art, really....

[RowanFortuneWood]

Great video.

By separating a moment and opening it to static appreciation photo-realism is artistic. I agree with Max Eastman that, 'The defining function of the artist is to cherish consciousness.' And more so with Raymond Tallis who, drawing on Nietzsche, claims art is an attempt to move from the kingdom of means to the kingdom of ends, 'to have experience for its own sake' or to experience the existentially present. I recommend Tallis' discussion on pp.288-91 of 'The Knowing Animal'.

[Loreleila]

Thanks Rowan.

I'm not sure I agree with the thoughts of those you cite, but that is also the beauty of art, not only the diversity of art itself but that of the observer or interpreter.

[matrixcmitech]

Loreleila, you must be the most brilliant philosophy oriented channel I have seen in the last few weeks. Your stuff runs circles around some of those little boys in the matrix playground... those boys would like to show you the sand castles they made out of quantum mechanics and dogmatic skepticism... whist you have taken the more direct route towards the source, the source of a radical dilemma imposed upon you in the form of a loaded question pointing at your head "What is the Matrix?"

[Loreleila]

Thank you very much. :) Personally I can't be doing with trying to quantify and define mist, i'd rather try and reveal what it secretes.

[Projoiner1]

Great video, and I believe if the person creating believes it's art, it's art.

My 9yr old daughter is certainly not trained at any kind of "art" and yet her drawings have feeling, something that is obvious when viewing.

We have other children that like to draw, yet their work, although enjoyed as a parent enjoys most that their children do or create doesn't elicit the same response.

I can't quantify why this is, even while looking at her "art" their is something within it trying to say something

[Loreleila]

Yes, it's that unquantifiable ineffable something one can't quite put ones finger on, yet there's no mistaking it. I wonder what it is....

[Serge165]

That is the most interesting video that I"ve ever seen you do, the effects flow with the words and what you;'re trying to put out. Therefore, this comment has been brought to you by the Letter Tzayn

[Loreleila]

Thank you Serge, I'm honoured. :)

[Serge165]

You''re welcome. The odd thing is, most of the Avalari alphabet consists of sounds English lacks yet I can make them easily, even though I'm a native English speaker.

[Loreleila]

Interesting. I discovered some years ago I can speak Anglo Saxon as it should be, even though I don't always know what it means and have never learnt to pronounce it. Similar no doubt..

[747dog]

.... Think I will just sit this one out... now where did I put my crayons?

[Loreleila]

lol Well I hope you'll share your efforts with the class. :P

[trick0171]

I think anything that is intentially created as art, is art (as long as the intention was there) ...and whether or not others think that it is good art or bad art is where subjectivity comes in.

[Loreleila]

So do you think something which is unintentional or unconscious cannot be art? The quality of a work of art is an interesting one. Generally there seems to be a concensus, but then it's hard to say whether that is borne out of genuine quality or the desire to like what others like and be part of the in crowd. Of course how accomplished an artist is will have an impact on that, but some utter rubbish becomes iconic simply because it's fashionable.

[trick0171]

"So do you think something which is unintentional or unconscious cannot be art?"

I think something unintentional or unconscious can be beautiful, etc, but I do not consider it art. What defines art to me is the process (in the mind) in which the output is derived from, not the output itself.

I liked your vid effects BTW ;)

[trick0171]

I mean not *JUST* the output itself (as output is necessary for art).

[Loreleila]

So for you art must have intent. Interesting.

Thanks. :)

[gratex]

what do you have against technicians? racist... ;)

what is this software? I was thinking about something like this for bringing a character to life.

[Loreleila]

lol! That takes me right back....

It's a part of LiveCam Optia Pro I found lurking on the cd, but hadn't automatically loaded. Some avatar creating thingy. You can do quite a lot with it, I have more to explore if I am inspired to.

[heatherlynblue]

I'm not sure art needs to have meaning to me... sometimes, like you described in a previous vid, it's about the process... and engaging in creating can be quite meaningful without the end product holding any intrinsic meaning to the piece - does that make sense?

[Loreleila]

Yes, it makes total sense. Often when I've finished something I can lose interest in it. I may or may not get pleasure in the long term from it, but that doesn't really matter. it's not why I do it.

[Kabuki0009]

I'd go along with that view *****stars; )

[Loreleila]

Thanks my friend. :)

[VedekDrew]

I asked that question this morning/last night in a blog.

What is art?

Thanks for this. Hummm, do I hear her calling me... naaa, that is my belly saying "feed me."

:-)

[Loreleila]

Maybe I was thinking loud. :P

So the muse and hunger feel similar to you? Interesting. lol

[Barklord]

These are interesting questions. I think intentionality should be present even if the artist is misunderstood or intended something other than what is interpreted. I get completely bored with some guitarists who are obviously great technicians but, on the other hand, a simple chord change can inspire me. Sometimes an element or *risk, danger or vulnerability is important. The difference between Bob Dylan and someone on American Idol (to me) is that Bob is on his own terms and the "idols" aren't.

[Loreleila]

Yes, while it's good when one communicates accurately in whatever medium the fact that someone has been caused to think or feel is an acheivement in itself.

Sometimes techinical brilliance can be like listening to a machine. Somehow pouring yourself into what you do (and music is expecially immediate in that sense) even if it may not be 'perfect' can do so much more. I agree, risk or vulnerability is an important element too. Good art is never safe.

[yeahwotevaman]

I thought that the purpose of art was to impress fit art students into sleeping with you. Measured on that scale my art is pretty bad.

Seriously though, all that counts is that somebody finds it aethetically pleasing even if it is only the artist themselves. Art as a commodity sucks.

[Loreleila]

LOL!

'Art as a commodity sucks'

Definitely. As I mention elsewhere many artists, including myself, are useless sales people anyway. It's almost a contradiction in terms. But the pleasure or being moved is enough in itself. The high I get from creating seems far more important to me than impressing others or making a fortune. Just as well eh? :P

[popebenadict16]

???

[Loreleila]

???

[santiagodevill]

i realy like this one.

can i post 2 of my vids as a responce to this one?

one is a video of my artwork, and the other is a ranting vid in wich a talk about what art means to me.

i dont want to post them with out you'r permission lol.

[Loreleila]

Art is freedom. Go for it. :)

[santiagodevill]

thanks :)

[itsbizbuz]

It's strange when I saw that software the first time, I asked to myself, "what would Loreleila do with it ?". ^___^

[Loreleila]

LOL! :) Funnily I stumbled upon this software because the rest of it wasn't working properly so I opened the cd and was rummaging to try and find the bits I needed. This was on there but not to be seen at all in the main thingy.

And now you know...:)

[lapislazuline]

some say art should be completely useless except as a piece of art...you,ll do your head in with this subject Loreleilaa....i mean if i were to say for instance that tracy emmin and damien hirst are a couple of talentless hacks who,ve got lucky i,d most probably get harangued by the emperors new clothes brigade just for stating an opinion........ hold on! did you say photography doesn,t make it as an art form? hhhrrmmmpphhh! :o)

[Loreleila]

I'm not fond of pretention. Art is for all, not just the messy bed and pickled cow makers. Well, maybe all messy bed makers, but then we don't all put them on show or make a fortune out of them. Maybe that's where we're going wrong. lol

No, I didn't say photography isn't art, I said photographic representation by an artist may not be. I love photography, you know that. I also love the video you sent re all this, I favourited it, thanks. :)

[xxxxCR0Wxxxx]

Great video 5*****

[Loreleila]

Thanks. :)

[ozjthomas]

I consider art to be just about everything, anything that is a form of creativity.. it can be singing in the shower, cooking a meal for friends, deciding where to hang your poster, deciding what to wear, etc, etc..

[Loreleila]

So to you the act of living is art. I can go with that. Would you say destruction is also art, or only creation?

[ozjthomas]

Yes. In a way, destruction is creation, so yeah.

[rozeboosje]

The art in photography is in deriving meaning from the way the subject is framed, lit, the angle it's taken from and the story that's being told ;-)

[Loreleila]

Indeed, the fact that it causes one to feel, to think, to be entranced or moved in some way.

[rozeboosje]

Yup - but that does raise another question. I can look at a rainbow and feel very moved by the beauty of it. Then I turn around to something that an artist has slaved over for hours, and I don't feel moved by it at all. Still, I wouldn't call the rainbow "art", and I wouldn't think that my failure to be moved by the artist's work should be of any concern to him or her.

[Loreleila]

Good point. Is nature then art? Or is our ability to convey that successfully through our creative efforts so? In other words does art have to be done by a human to be art?

I don't think you can choose whether to be moved by a piece of art or not, in the same way you can't choose to feel something. It either happens or it doesn't. There has to be a recognition of some sort, and that isn't always dependant on the skill of the artist, though it may be enhanced by it.

[rozeboosje]

I wouldn't say that nature is art; I think art is what humans do. I dare say art is one of those things that the harder you squeeze trying to define it the more slippery it gets. I would say - if you feel you're producing art, you are. Even if the only person moved by it is yourself :-)

Not that it isn't nice to be recognised ;-)

[Loreleila]

'I dare say art is one of those things that the harder you squeeze trying to define it the more slippery it gets'

Definitely.

'if you feel you're producing art, you are. Even if the only person moved by it is yourself'

Also agreed. When I'm painting and it's working I am in love with my creation. That's part of the problem for me, that in itself is enough, it's such a wonderful feeling. I don't really care about the recognition. But yes, maybe that is good too. :)

[rozeboosje]

Definitely. Especially if it involves punters parting with large wads of cash XD

[Loreleila]

Unfortunately that's always been the bit I'm crap at, in common with quite a lot of other artists. :P

[michaelispan]

The Many Faces of Loreleila

[Loreleila]

I'm every woman lalala (and a strange bloke as well :P)

[evilbrainproductions]

you love these tricky topics hey :) yeh i argee with what you said, in the eye of the beholder or being able to relate to the artists feelings?

cool vid 5*

[Loreleila]

I do. Well, something crops up and I wonder about it. You all get to see snapshots of the inside of my head basically. lol Glad you liked it anyway. :)

[CousinoMacul]

Somebody's having fun with their software. :-)

Mimicking a photo? Don't you know that some of the best art is photography?

[Loreleila]

I like to play :)

'Don't you know that some of the best art is photography?'

Absolutely. I wasn't intending to knock photography. Some is powerful art. but not all photography is art (or is it?) and not all photographic representation by an artist is either, imo. What is the difference between being a good technician and an artist?

[CousinoMacul]

A. That's an invalid comparison because one is apples and the other oranges. My only stipulation would be that I believe that in order to be a good artist in a given medium, one must first be a competent technician in that medium.

B. The artist can evoke emotional reponses from others who experience his/her work.

[Loreleila]

A Why is one apples and the other oranges? They are both pictoral representations created by man. I would say the comparison is valid. By your definition a child could not create good art. While I think to a degree competency has relvevance it in't the whole picture. Excuse the pun.

B Is 'wow' an emotional response? :P Though essentially I probably agree with you on that one.

[CousinoMacul]

The implication of the question "What is the difference between being a good technician and an artist?" seems to be that one is either one or the other when the two largest sets are those that are neither and those that are both.

"They are both pictoral representations"

Why are you excluding music, poetry, prose, drama, cooking, etc. from this discussion?

[CousinoMacul]

If you reread my comment you'll see that I was expressing a belief--not a definition. But since you ask, I do believe that a child too young to be competent in the skills of a particular medium cannot produce good art IN THAT MEDIUM.

[Loreleila]

My belief differs. One of my children was precociously artistic (as up to a point was I) and was good at it without training. Her paintings stood out from the other childrens like a beacon. Competency isn't always about training.

Do I detect an air of irritation, or am I misreading your text?

[CousinoMacul]

"Her paintings stood out from the other childrens like a beacon."

That's consistent with my belief. You're comparing her with a pool of people with similar competency. I'm going to venture a guess that as her competency improved, so did her artistry.

[Loreleila]

I wish it were so. Unfortunately instead teachers managed to kill her freedom of expression and teach her that unless she doubted herself and did it their way she wasn't any good. Despite my encouragement she lost heart in it and stopped bothering.

[Loreleila]

We have a different way of manipulating facts and using logic. Both are valid. It's a question of understanding the terminology of each other, or so it seems to me.

'Why are you excluding music, poetry, prose, drama, cooking, etc. from this discussion?'

I'm not. I raised the topic about a specific form of art but it can be extended and extrapolations made.

[michaelispan]

Indeed. Is there a difference?

I Know Folks whose work with machines.

(Hardware or Software)

Can truly be considered nothing less than a form of Art.

[smartbluecat]

Sorry I'm talking in such broad strokes here (no pun intended). This is another vid of yours I could ramble on about for days.

.;o)

[Loreleila]

Please don't apologise, and the pun is apt. These are the ones i enjoy the most in the sense that the exchange is creative in itself, the rambling (only it isn't) is part of the joy. Ramble to your hearts content (she says, hoping she doesn't live to regret the statement :P)

[smartbluecat]

I do feel ideally art should be more than technical accomplishment for me its at its best when it makes you think and feel. I believe its a number choices made to express or capture. How well it achieves this is always going to be a two way street the eye of the beholder and all that jazz.

:o)

One of the beautiful things about art for me is that its choice for choices sake. Its not a tool of survival; it doesnt have to have a practical purpose, (more)

[smartbluecat]

it doesnt feed or clothe us. Its a very human trait. To be inspired by our environment aesthetically or otherwise and attempt to share and express how it makes us feel is something we do all our lives. We seem compelled to seek out and appreciate beautiful ascetics and to order the things we can accordingly. Consciously and unconsciously trying to recreate the beauty around us. Sometimes we call it art.

[Loreleila]

I can relate to and agree with all you say, but I'd add to it. I think art is about more than beauty, it's about the whole range of human experience. If a piece I create causes someone to cry for example, to be moved in whatever way, to be opened out, I feel I've achieved my aim. It can be used to cause the observer to question, to wonder, to be entranced in one way or another, to be made more.

'Sometimes we call it art'

That's the funny thing. How do we decide when it is and when it isn't?

[smartbluecat]

lol! I thought about changing that last line just before posting...I was running out of space so I went with the primer - beauty. Sharing anything successfully is beautiful to me - fear, joy, sorrow whatever. If I could syphon it from my mind's eye to yours without spilling a drop I'd have achieved my personal aim - how would I ever know if I had though? Damn these clumsy words! Not only is art subjective it's also contextual.

:o)

[Loreleila]

lol! Words sometimes get more in the way of communication than aiding it, but I think I know exactly what you mean now, because that is an ideal for me also. However, I'd add while being able to achieve that is beautiful and desirable I'm also happy if someone reads a creation of mine quite differently from what I put into it. If it moves them in the way they need it to then I have also done what I wish. I think sometimes it's clear another has 'heard' though, and that is the best, a meeting.