Art: definition, purpose, and significance

Art can be defined as a reflection of our impressions and is thus a reflection of our experiences. Art is also something that a person creates simply for the purpose of enjoyment. In other words, it has no other value than the fact that it serves as art. It must be created and then it must have an audience. The creation of art is only the beginning of what art can be. The enjoyment of art includes all that art can become. In other words, art is more than a physical piece of work; art can also be defined as what it means to an audience. To thrive, art needs to be created and appreciated. While the definition of art is no doubt subjective, everyone can agree that art is necessary for one reason or another.

Tom Anderson describes in making art, the "imaginative body engages the physical body to carry out what is imagined" (Anderson). This is an interesting point-of-view and it captures the experience of art. The idea of creating something must come from somewhere and it is up to the artist to carry out that idea. From this perspective, art is important to the artist because it becomes a way of life and a way of dealing with life. However, the creation of art is only the beginning of things to come. Art is also important to the audience. While many people may think art is one-sided, they are not considering how it influences others. This is significant because without an audience, artists would have no one for whom to create. David Gelef states, "Art must have significant form; it must please aesthetically; it must - but art doesn't have to do anything, and we may never adequately pin down the essential or necessary conditions of art" (Gelef). This is an accurate description in that art may seem to be loosely defined but we always recognize it when we see it.

An example of art that endures is Michelangelo's statue of David. This piece of work has stood the test of time and has many admirers. One does not have to be an art expert to appreciate this piece of work. In fact, Anthony Hughes notes, "Michelangelo's reputation as a sculptor was established early and has rarely been questioned. Until the 20th century he was commonly regarded as the most important sculptor of the modern era. His work is idiosyncratic, of exceptional expressive power and of strikingly limited range" (Hughes). We see the "expressive power" in that the statue is so lifelike. From the details of David's face, hands, and feet to the expression in his eyes, we sense the magnitude of Michelangelo's talent with this piece. Because we do sense something when we look at the statue, we can know that we are looking at art. The same thing can be said of painting and other forms of aesthetic art. Art allows us to feel. For example, when we look at DaVinci's Last Supper, we feel something. Claude Monet's Water Lilies provides us with another example of how art can make us feel something. It is important to note that these feelings can be almost anything. They do not have to be positive or negative - it all depends on the artist and the audience.

Art allows us to feel. Tom Anderson maintains that we make art to "make sense of things, to give meaning to our existence" (Anderson). Anderson also states that another reason why we make art is to "communicate something that counts to someone else" (Anderson). "Making art is an attempt to bring order into being, to create something meaningful where nothing existed before" (Anderson). He contends that the "artist's goal is to see with his or her own eyes the nature of things, a truth, if not the truth, depicting the meanings associated with people, and things in paint, stone, and pixels" (Anderson). This is an accurate description of art because it opens the door to possibility. Art does not have to been seen - it can also be felt. An excellent example of this is art in writing. Poetry, literature, and songs are also forms of art. For instance, Percy Shelley's poem "Love's Philosophy" makes us believe in the beauty of love two hundred years after it was written. While one piece of art may make different individuals feel many different things, it is only important to remember that art causes us to feel something.