What is Art?

Many people approach art nervously. In a discussion about art, they will tentatively begin with a disclaimer, ‘Now I know nothing about art really…’ All of us, to some extent or other, labour under the illusion that art is the exclusive domain of the cultured, the differentiator between the truly refined and the vulgar.

But is it? To me art has always been a visual escape into worlds unhindered, an exhilarating tour de force on the part of the artist and an equally exhilarating celebration of form, colour and perspective for the onlooker - me. If it moves me to experiencing the great human emotions of joy, hope, love or grief, it is something to cherish. If it makes me think of the hand behind the work, the person behind the painting, their life, their technique, then it has achieved its goal. This is what art is about: to stop you for a moment wherever you are, to speak directly to you in that moment, to lead you to feel perhaps a part of what the artist felt when the painting was conceived and produced, and finally, to allow you to feel emotions and think thoughts that are exclusively yours about the work.

This is true of good and bad art. I say those word with deliberation. Art is meant to be subjective. It does not require you to approach it with ready ideas or expectations. You may, but you will only limit your enjoyment of it then. Art is a language between the artist and their viewer. Perhaps the two of you will have a long conversation. Perhaps a glance is enough to satisfy your curiosity.