How to Define Art

What is art? Who determines what a “masterpiece” is and why are they given this expert title to do so? When your younger sibling draws on your mother’s wall, is that art? How about when your sibling scribbles over an entire piece of paper, is that art? We took a class trip to the art gallery our assignment: find two pieces, compare and contrast them. Upon walking into the gallery, my first thoughts were why, why the art gallery and why are these pieces considered art? I am in no way interested in art therefore I had no clue where to begin. Amazingly as I wondered around the room, I found two pieces by the same artist that depicted in many ways a comic strip scene or cartoon. I thought easy right? Now all I have to do now is compare the difference in moods the artist is attempting to get across. Boy was I ever wrong.

The first piece I studied was Egg Patrol by Chris Davenport. It was painted with oil on canvas. Other than a small description about the piece, the artist’s name, and what it type of paint was used, I knew nothing of this piece. I came to the uneasy realization that I would have to analyze the artwork and be able to understand what feelings the artist was attempting to convey. The sky stood out most in painting as if a storm was approaching far in the distance. Davenport used dark blues with lightning striking in the distance showing Mother Nature’s fury. I was taken aback by all the emotions I was able to see coming just from the sky. Next as you look into the picture there’s a policeman laughing. The policeman has “Egg Patrol” printed on his coat patch. Then you have a nest with grandparents each holding a grandchild. The grandfather is holding a flag in his hand as he is simply surrendering himself. There is also a lady handing a small egg to the officer, but there is still a very large egg in the nest. Because the people have different expressions on their faces, each person could easily be taken out or replaced in a different position in the painting and make the painting change dramatically or slightly.

The second piece is untitled but is also oil on canvas. Because the colors blue and red stand out the most this picture they remind me of superman. This painting has what appear to be two masked villains hovering around and it appears as though some tragic event has just occurred and now people are waiting on a superhero to save them. The two villains have bandanas covering their eyes as so to not have their identity revealed. Depending on the angle at which you look at the picture, a lady or even possibly ladies can be seen jumping over a car. In midair, a blimp is on fire. Strangely enough, a man stands underneath the burning blimp holding only an umbrella for protection. The two villains seem to be examining the destruction caused by some unknown source. This piece is also is dark and dreary showing the horrors, loneliness, and homesickness soldiers must have feel being deployed in a foreign country. Also, there is a hole in which the villains are staring into. The hole has so many lines that it reminds me of the human nervous system.

The obvious similarities are that both pieces are by the same artist and created from the same material and both painted in oil on canvas. They both have people in the background with individual expressions. In both pieces, the skies have an unnatural appearance reminding me of the after affects of an atomic bomb going off. The mushroom cloud-like residue is actually hovering overhead. They also differ in several ways. The police officer in the first piece is clearly identified while the villain’s identities are unknown. The clouds in Egg Patrol seem angry, upset, and out with a vengeance. While the clouds in piece two seem to be calming down showing the after affects of the destruction.

When I sat down and considered the meaning of these two pieces I began to understand art. As you have read you don’t have to be an art critic to understand, define, and connect with art. I started out with no motivation and ended up with a thousand unanswered questions. As I tried to connect with Davenport through his paintings, I began to form a bond like no other. I saw myself in these paintings and the emotions of the paintings came alive through me. I conclude that Davenport was trying to show the evils of the world and that we have our modern day superheroes to protect us. So back to our first question, what is art? According to definition of the word, it is the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance. Definition two the class of objects subject to aesthetic criteria; works of art collectively, as paintings, sculptures, or drawings: a museum of art; an art collection. (Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.) Art is anything you feel is complex or even simple; it’s something that catches your eye and inspires you to ponder its meaning. Art is unique, simple, complex, and can be created by anyone and at times anything.