What makes it art?

[Toney Robertson]

I know that art is in the eye of the beholder so I am asking the beholder "What makes it art" for you?

In one of Steve's thread where he died a piece one response talked about how the dye took it from a turning to art. Is that what it takes?

Can a simple bowl be art?

Is it the form?

Is it the wood?

Does it have to be embellished (dyed, carved, burned, etc.)?

We work in a different medium that most other "artists" (if we are artists) because unlike painters, potters or metal workers wood has an inherent beauty. You can take a walnut board, sand and finish it and it is beautiful whereas a blank canvas, clay and bare metal have no beauty to them. So I am a minimalist when it comes to wood. I saw a piece once where someone had bleached a piece of birds eye maple. I will pull my punches enough to say that I did not care for it.

What say you? I will be interested in reading your responses. I have not seen this discussed in the two+ years I have been following this board.

Toney

[Barry Elder]

IMHO, there is no simple way to answer your question. You stated the "best" answer in your first sentence: "the eye of the beholder".

[Harvey Mushman]

Picasso once said.... "Art is the lie which enables us to see the truth"........I'm sure that'll clear things up!

[alex carey]

We had this discussion in my philosophy club. "What is art". Some of the students said there can be no real definition. Others said art has certain criteria that must be met. The professor brought in a picture of modern art, it was just a bunch of circles, Personally I found this not to be art at all but alas it's in a museums and plenty of contemporaries call it art. Does art have to be inspiring? Does art have to take skill? Does it have to have meaning or courageous motivation?
Truth is there is no universal rule for what is art, it is completely subjective.

[George Guadiane]

My answer would be yes and no to all of those things.
Personally, I think art is more about intent and then perception than anything else.
If you are turning - lets say - a bowl, and you consider proportions, perspective, grain location and orientation, intending to make the most attractive finished product from the materials WITHOUT considering the biggest possible piece from the wood, no matter what, THEN you are looking artistically at the process.
If the viewer sees the finished product, as having artistic value, no mater what the turner intended, then it is art.
If the turner slapped a hunk of wood on the lathe and slammed out a bowl, you MIGHT get art, but the approach isn't particularly "artistic," no matter how well the piece is formed and/or finished.
Whatever embellishment you do after the turning is done could be intended as "art" or as a means to jack up the price by putting in more hours on a piece...
A LOT has to do with intent on the "artist's" side of the equation.
Personal background/vision/vision/interpretation/mood/... all go into how artistic a piece looks to the viewer.
One could go on for days and not say any more or less (of value) on the subject... These are my "artistic ramblings" and in no way of any significant value in the bigger artistic world.

[Tony Kahn]

I have had several people call several of my pieces art, trust me though it is not from my meager turning abilities. it truly was the wood, i just happened to be the craftsmen lucky enough to mount that piece of wood on the lathe and not screw it up too badly. take for example the piece of walnut that mark is turning on the beast. Now according to most peoples edicts there is no way that he being a beginner could create art, but as for me, i think the piece of wood, his shaping of it and to top it all off the machine that he created to make it possible all come together for one very artistic piece.

[Brian McInturff]

For me, "Art" is just about any turning that doesn't resemble what's considered "Production run" items. Or Utilitarian pieces. But Utilitarian can be Art. Definitely any piece that you incorporate some type of embellishment is considered art.

[Toney Robertson]

IMHO, there is no simple way to answer your question. You stated the "best" answer in your first sentence: "the eye of the beholder".

Barry,

What makes it art for you?

Does it need enhancement?

Have you ever turned or seen a simple turned bowl and thought it was art?

Toney

[John Gornall]

Art is Human communication. If a person creates something and it causes a reaction in you it is art. If you experience it and have no response it isn't art to you - but it might be to the next person. Art requires a creator and a receiver. Art does not stand alone, a turning can stand alone until it is loved or even hated, and then it's art. Otherwise it's just firewood.

[Jeff Nicol]

Toney, This question is huge and has no end, if DaVinci turned a simple bowl it would be considered art, because he was a great artist and designer. If Ted Bundy would have turned a bowl it would be considered art from a serial killer. Provenance and the relative fame of the turner cand make normal into art just by attaching the name. So "WHY" does it matter? If you believe it is art it is art, if the simple bowl was incorparated into a large collage of things by some up and coming "Avant Garde" impressionist artist it then becomes art. This can go on and on and on....................

If it needs more in your eye to be art add something to it if not leave it alone. Just be satisfied you have the patience and desire to create something from not so much!

The art is in us all!

Jeff

[John Fricke]

Toney,
I think if you ask 100 people this question you are likely to get 101 different answers.

To me it is art if someone considers it so. I've seen clusters of old rusty iron all welded and cobbled together called art. I've seen almost blank canvases called art. I guess you could say art is whatever someone is willing to pay a premium price for.

As far as turnings being art, to me it all depends on the piece of wood. Some pieces have fantastic grain and figure, they can stand on their own in almost any well turned form. Another piece may have simple grain but fantastic form that shows off the artesians skill. Yet another piece may have simple appearance in grain and form but have an artistic embellishment that enhances the piece.

I was at an arts and crafts fair today. There was a turner there that had a nice display of bowls. They were all simple forms, many with carvings to embellish. His work felt more craftsy than artsy to me. Just my .02

[Andrew Derhammer]

Simple and complex lines can be art. Shaker furniture is very simple yet it's highly regarded for it's design. Faberge on the other hand you could say it's very overly ornate. (yeah comparing eggs to furniture but you get the point)

Here's wikipedia's definition

Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music and literature. The meaning of art is explored in a branch of philosophy known as Aesthetics.

[Burt Alcantara]

Art is what survives. What is considered art today will most likely be not considered at all tomorrow. J.S. Bach was dismissed for 2 centuries. Van Gogh died penniless as did Bela Bartok. The roles are lengthy.

In American society, we trivialize all words so we tend to have a meaningless language. Art, love, honesty...words with no meaning because of their assignment to all things and their usefulness as marketing tools.

Art Schmart. It's all doggie doo.

[Barry Richardson]

"Art is making something from nothing, and selling it" Frank Zappa

[Dick Sowa]

This question follows along with the "when does my shop become a studio" question.

I have thought about this issue at length, and it always seems to give me a headache

One way to look at it might be to consider how your brain processes what you do or see. As a retired engineer, I think I am mostly left brain oriented. But occasionally (VERY rarely) I manage to trigger my right brain and can visualize things completely differently. In my view, it's that difference that makes us an "artist" as opposed to a mechanic.

Malcolm Tibbets has somehow merged the two...he's one heck of a mechanic, managing to figure out how to do all those amazing segmented turnings. But at the same time manages to involve his right brain and come up with dazzling ways to turn it into art.