Definition Essay Defining Art - 1654 Words

Defining art is a frustrating and thought provoking idea, because to define art is the equivalent to putting up a wall and saying you cannot pass it, but as human nature works, someone will eventually attempt and succeed at crossing over the wall. I personally enjoy the thought of artists constantly breaking the barrier of things considered to be art, but I also enjoy the thought of people preparing definitions to share with the world, because it causes this ongoing controversy. I believe the most satisfactory definition we have studied thus far is that of Jerrold Levinson. Levinson’s definition discards the thought of a strict â€Å"artworld,† which is why it works well with an example like the west side of the Berlin wall. Levinson contends†¦show more content†¦This side of the definition also allows new artists to create something that the world has never seen before, but can still find a way to connect the art to something like a family of previous arts. Th is is to say that technically there are no genuinely original ideas to a single artist. Every artist picks up something they admire or hate about other artworks and put them together, and while it may create something the artworld has never seen before it is not completely original to the artist but rather derived from other works. The west side of the Berlin wall was allowed to be painted in remembrance of the way the two sides were allowed to live, and to go see this piece of history that has been transformed into a work of art is an astounding sight and perfectly fits Levinson’s definition of art. â€Å"Part of these artistic traditions is how audiences treat artworks at any given time† (Hick, 37). The Berlin wall is treated as both an artwork and a monument. Levinson believed that objects became art if they were intended to be interpreted and treated as such, and when the Berlin wall was painted by different artists it was intended to be taken as a piece of art the refore according to Levinson it is art. I interpret the wall as one of the most intriguing and soul touching pieces of art, and I believe that Levinson would agree to consider it art for