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Art in Our World Essay

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ll art is not only part of society, but is the product of the beliefs and values of the artist and the audience. I believe that the world is divided in the same manner as the human brain. There is the scientific side and the artistic side. Everything in the world can be placed in at least one of the two categories. Furthermore, I believe that neither side is dominant over the other. From this thought, I conclude that society is composed of both science and art, both expressing beliefs and values in their own respective, unique forms. Focusing on the artistic side, however, one can see a striking paradox. Even though art is more abstract than science, there is a more direct definition of art than science. While a scientist must explain his …show more content…

His work called “Seeing Yourself Sensing” is called an art happening which is an interactive study which requires human participation to occur. To a person simply walking by, it would appear to be a wall of glass; but when informed that it is semi-reflective glass that shows the audience the effect he or she has on the surroundings, the “glass wall” becomes a window into wondrous realizations of self. However, even with the intent of the artist, each individual encounters “Seeing Yourself Sensing” as an ever-changing happening; therefore, it would be impossible for the author to write down the exact meaning of his work, because an exact meaning doesn’t exist. The exhibit takes on new meaning each day the doors of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City are opened to the public. I believe that particular work took a meaning never fathomed by the artist. One can only imagine what meaning many people took from “Seeing Yourself Sensing” on September 12, 2001. Surely, there was a broad range of emotions demonstrated that day. I conclude that on occasion, artist intent is necessary for some art to “happen”, but the meaning doesn’t exist on paper.
Another aspect to understanding how society is reflected in the arts is to view the art with regards to its origin and to its audience. The term for this idea is a sociological phrase usually attributed to demographics: cultural relativism. An example of how this way

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