All Art Is Quite Useless

There is an old saying, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” Effective Altruists, genuinely well-meaning people, whose goal is to do as much good as they can, seem not to notice the flaws in some of their methods. Robert Southan is a screenplay writer who recounts his encounters with some Effective Altruists in his essay “Is Art a Waste of Time?” He says that Effective Altruists generally do not consider art to be a worthy profession for they perceive it to be an occupation that has little potential to do good for others. However, they do not take into account the enormous emotional support that art has had for countless people. Music, in particular, is part of nearly all cultures and is instrumental in creating situations in

Art is a great way to show passion as well as emotion and thoughts. There have been many great visual artists and there still is today. Art has been around for a long, long time and will continue to be in our community for many more years to come. Art is created in many ways and is admired in different

Late on Wednesday night, my phone ringed. It was a text message from my friend Pedro, “Do you want to visit an art museum tomorrow”. Knowing I needed to go, I texted him back quickly, “pick me up after your class tomorrow and we can adventure to The Weatherspoon Art Museum at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro”. After Pedro’s class, we explored the museum observing multiple art works, and I was invoked by three, art pieces. All three were different and intriguing in their own way. For instance, the painting that is on top of the cover page with all the wavy hair was painted by Catherine Murphy and is known as the “Frosted”. This painting was very delightful because of its unique elements. Second, the sculpture in the middle of the cover page is an image of a wooded animal. This sculpture was crafted by Deborah Butterfield and is recognized as Lunalilo. Also, at the bottom of the cover page is a sculpture constructed by Dan Graham, the sculpture was known as Triangle Solid with

The world we live in has tremendously evolved. We live in a world that is extremely technical and specialized. When someone goes off to college, they focus on learning the skills they need that will allow them to pursue a beneficial employment. Barely any time is spent studying the various arts. Art is often viewed by the people of our world as “a waste of time” or “pointless”, as it does not have any constructive application in most of their lives needs.

There was one particular work of art that stroked me the most, perhaps for its simplicity: A Sergeant entering through the door, wearing his military uniform and a gun in his hand, it seems like it takes place in the late 60s maybe early 70s. In one of this pockets there is a folded note, could someone had died? Was that the notification of it? I questioned. There are a few rocks propping the door to a residence house, while the Sergeant’s attention is given entirely to his love interest, another man, who is sitting on a chair, covered with a blanket all the way from his hips to his feet; the Sergeant is embracing and kissing the man sitting. When I saw the painting I asked him the meaning of it and he replied: “Kid, it is not a conundrum. You give art your own interpretation. It means whatever you think it

Since the beginning of art, typical mediums have consisted of oil paints, marble, pastels, and charcoals. As time has progressed, and aesthetics have changed, so has the extensive list of mediums found in art. One medium in particular, known as the use of “found objects” has become increasingly more popular since the days of the Renaissance. Found object art can be as straightforward as Marcel Duchamp’s “Fountain,” which is a urinal fountain that is simply orientated sideways and signed; this, bordering the line between art and an object from everyday life, brings forth many questions and lots of public controversy. Art has always caused this same controversy, but one main argument frequently surrounding found objects is the extent unto which the piece must be abstracted or reincorporated in order to be considered “art.”

The painting was very thought provoking and sprouted many ideas in my head,however, their was one idea that stood out more than the others. I listed the thoughts below in the bullet points.

The field of art history, like any discipline, is a wide and varied area of study. There are seemingly thousands of ways to interpret works of art and their places in history. Each has their own pros and cons and can greatly help to understand art and art-objects. In this semester’s Introduction to Art History course, we learned three different approaches art historians take when interpreting works of art: an object-oriented view, an artist-centered view, and an approach through medium. These approaches generally fall within one of two categories. The approaches through object and medium focus on readily apparent cues and symbols in the art object being studied. These approaches rely less on a study of history and more on visual evidence. The

Many discover life in the paintings of a dead artist in the most miniscule details: the number of colours used in a painting, the size of a flower, or the expression of a model. Looking back, one can remember how middle school art teachers would indulge our imaginations with lectures on the curiously complex intentions behind every colourful stroke of the painters brush. However, letters exchanged between artist reveal the truth behind not only the intentions of an artist but also the tactics used to create the sacrosanct works of art produced by one. Currently there are 844 surviving Vincent van Gogh letters, over 900 paintings, and over 1100 drawings. One man's life has been compiled into a medium sized pile of canvas, wood, and paper,

What is art? Can it be defined in any single painting, or sculpture? Is it even something that can be seen, or does it have to be experienced? The term "art" is so vague that it can be applied to almost anything, really. Mostly, however, art should be that which frees our imagination. It connects our conscious with our subconscious, putting into a visual form what we feel and think. It allows us to explore our inner self and fill that urge to understand our minds and our universe. Art helps us to see beyond the ordinary, to see what is in our hearts without being blinded by reality. When an artist creates a painting, it is not to create a picture; it is to create a feeling or mood. The purpose is to convey an emotion, and, it is

My breath forms small clouds in front of me as I push through the bitter wind, my bag's straps digging deep into my shoulder. Reaching the glass industrial door, I swing it open, welcoming the rush of warmth on my face. I climb the four flights of cement stairs to the third floor, my boots and heavy breathing echoing off the walls. The thick steel door swings open revealing an art studio with its own character and energy. Patterned cotton drapes spill out of the bins while rolls of canvas gather pastel dust in the corner. I plop my burlap tote and camera bag down next to Greek plaster busts and one of the many easels that litter the area. The strong smell of oil paint mixes sharply with the smell of turpentine and cleaning chemicals, overwhelming my senses.

“Why Art Matters” by Thomas P.Campbell, explains the importance of art through cultural aspects and roles played in today's society, to help support funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. He firsts explains that many people often see art as being an unnecessary subject; he then goes onto stating that art provides millions of jobs and brings money back through revenue taxes. Another important idea he makes is,the N.E.A. serves many functions, promotes art, disperses fundings, and helps lower the cost of insuring exhibitions. In addition, he goes into discussing the importance of the N.E.A. being a link between the government and its the people; eliminating the N.E.A. would destroy that link causing the government

Robert was cleaning out his Grandmother’s house after she had passed away. In the back corner of the garage he found the most beautiful picture he had ever seen in what he believed to be the ugliest frame in the world. He recognised it as one that used to hang in the living room. The frame was intricately carved with golden inlay’s and patterns surrounding it. Robert had liked the picture once but as soon as his Grandfather died the picture disappeared and he thought no more about it. After looking at it for a few minutes the picture was placed on the charity pile.

Although the idea of an artist creating work beyond their death might seem like a ludicrous thought to some, in reality, one might be surprised to find that the work of Sol LeWitt is still being manufactured after his late death in 2007. During the 1960s, Lewitt proposed the revolutionary claim that an idea itself could be art. Today, Lewitt’s legacy still manages to challenge the notion that art must physically manifest into an object. LeWitt’s conceptual art abolishes the art as an object as well as the artist’s physical labor in creating the artwork as intrinsic to the definition of art. Furthermore, his framework separates human agency from the mechanical aspects of actually making the work. In spite of what most people think, not all art is the unique product of a disciplined master. While many may argue that Lewitt created juvenile simple pieces, this artist actually introduced very complicated issues of authorship and authenticity into the conversation of art.

A lot of people think that art can only go as far as a class in school, but in reality there is art around everyone. Art can be a way of life for some people, and for others it is simply just something they pass every single day. What they do not realize is that art can have benefits in different aspects in their life, in children's lives, and even the world around them.