mindbile moments : what is art?
:: ART / LIFE IN SINGAPORE ::
ART is an Expression. hence the Artwork is then the Medium of Communication between the Artist and the Viewer.
ART is more than just a paintbrush and a piece of paper or a lump of clay - that is CRAFT.
ART is a way of LIFE. Art is CULTURE.
cruising down the gallery aisle of a local Teochew Association Art Exhibition this rainy evening, i realize (tho not for the first time) that i'm in over my depth; of the basic understanding of the artworks hung on exhibition-panels in front of me, and of the cultural context in which they portray and embody. a mixed-medium buffet of imagery in sharp contrast to my limited visual vocabulary; resigned to pop-culture media and of the 9th wonder of modern civilization that which is photoshop.
If there is no historical context by which a culture is formed, that what is it we are attempting to portray in ART? a word? a story? a habitat? a geographical evaluation embodied in a painting? in a sculpture? just a purdy picture?
but of coz there are varying degrees and levels of ART (and it's appreciation), innit?
and as much as i recognize the parallel technique in which some images are presented on the works in the exhibition ~ be it via a graphical-styled highlight or a illustrative outline, the "cultural significance" eludes me. i recognize not just becoz i "know", but becoz i've learnt to recognize/apply/appreciate them thru these mortal years, exposed to varying forms of "art". children/students in singapore are being "taught" ART. i remember my misbegotten days of primary education - where we were basically let loose to "experiment" with the techniques of art-application; the "craft", than anything remotely ART ~ i know what i have to draw (becoz it's plonked down in front of me) but i know not "how" and/or the "why". i hope things have changed and evolved thru these decades, i really do.
i ask myself now; "would i be able to produce a chinese watercolor painting if ever asked to?" - mayhap i could, but it would've been the "craft" in which i would've attempt to execute, instead of the "art" which i reckon is currently not within my immediate grasp, physically or metaphorically. and that is fine. existentialism exists not on a canvas mounted on a wooden easel or on the surface of a concrete wall, i reckon ... but that's just me, innit?
heck, i've no answer here. i don't really know for sure what ART is, innit? by definition there'll be a million explanations, descriptions and schools of thought for it's existence and here i am just exorcising some mindbile plaguing a rainywet and pensive friday night, innit? *heh*
and i look upon me Mum's contribution to the art exhibition (for which both imagery are shown here, in portion - and the only reason why i was at the exhibition in the first place :p) and i can only but appreciate the passion in which she has for this particular medium. and tho ART and all it's intricacies may escape me, and an "artist" i may not be, i can still attempt to "appreciate art", innit? :)
._.
ART is an Expression. hence the Artwork is then the Medium of Communication between the Artist and the Viewer.
ART is more than just a paintbrush and a piece of paper or a lump of clay - that is CRAFT.
ART is a way of LIFE. Art is CULTURE.
cruising down the gallery aisle of a local Teochew Association Art Exhibition this rainy evening, i realize (tho not for the first time) that i'm in over my depth; of the basic understanding of the artworks hung on exhibition-panels in front of me, and of the cultural context in which they portray and embody. a mixed-medium buffet of imagery in sharp contrast to my limited visual vocabulary; resigned to pop-culture media and of the 9th wonder of modern civilization that which is photoshop.If there is no historical context by which a culture is formed, that what is it we are attempting to portray in ART? a word? a story? a habitat? a geographical evaluation embodied in a painting? in a sculpture? just a purdy picture?
but of coz there are varying degrees and levels of ART (and it's appreciation), innit?
and as much as i recognize the parallel technique in which some images are presented on the works in the exhibition ~ be it via a graphical-styled highlight or a illustrative outline, the "cultural significance" eludes me. i recognize not just becoz i "know", but becoz i've learnt to recognize/apply/appreciate them thru these mortal years, exposed to varying forms of "art". children/students in singapore are being "taught" ART. i remember my misbegotten days of primary education - where we were basically let loose to "experiment" with the techniques of art-application; the "craft", than anything remotely ART ~ i know what i have to draw (becoz it's plonked down in front of me) but i know not "how" and/or the "why". i hope things have changed and evolved thru these decades, i really do.
i ask myself now; "would i be able to produce a chinese watercolor painting if ever asked to?" - mayhap i could, but it would've been the "craft" in which i would've attempt to execute, instead of the "art" which i reckon is currently not within my immediate grasp, physically or metaphorically. and that is fine. existentialism exists not on a canvas mounted on a wooden easel or on the surface of a concrete wall, i reckon ... but that's just me, innit?heck, i've no answer here. i don't really know for sure what ART is, innit? by definition there'll be a million explanations, descriptions and schools of thought for it's existence and here i am just exorcising some mindbile plaguing a rainywet and pensive friday night, innit? *heh*
and i look upon me Mum's contribution to the art exhibition (for which both imagery are shown here, in portion - and the only reason why i was at the exhibition in the first place :p) and i can only but appreciate the passion in which she has for this particular medium. and tho ART and all it's intricacies may escape me, and an "artist" i may not be, i can still attempt to "appreciate art", innit? :)
._.
