What is Art?

Thinking about the importance of the idea brings me on to addressing Sol LeWitt. He produced a series of Wall Drawings, developed from an idea. LeWitt wrote instructions (representing the idea) for assistance to pacifically follow to produce the Wall Drawings. The value of the artwork was in the instructions, not the physical object of the drawing, which evolved from the instructions (idea). The purpose of this process was for LeWitt to skillfully highlight the importance of the idea, by removing his own artistic hand with the assistance.

This is why I have proceeded to produce “Art” that shows no physical artistic skill from myself. This is risky considering I am on a Fine Art course. Some people in the studio find it ironic how I can get through a Fine Art degree by doing nothing. When I say nothing I mean, doing nothing that shows my physical artistic skill, typically painting and sculpture.

**Idea**

I had an idea! This idea is to buy some glass vials/bottles from the shop that have cork plugs. Every time I have an idea, I am going to write it onto a piece of rizzla and place it into the bottle. I am going to make sure that I keep track on the time and dates that I have an idea and I will place the time, and date onto the bottle.

The idea is that the idea is the Art. I have simply put my ideas into the delicate and preciouses bottle, making the bottle valuable. This resulting in the idea being a piece of Art itself.

Why do I need to do the Art, or make Art, when it is the idea that is the Art? Making the idea into a piece of Art would just be the interpretation of an idea; therefore, it would not be the original idea.

Eventually I will have many bottles with different idea’s encapsulated in them. I will then present the bottles with my ideas encapsulated in them as the Art.

I am considering attaching a small label on the bottles with the time and date that I had the idea. I will also keep track of my own ideas by righting on this blog, as to what idea is, on each piece of rizzla, in what bottle.

The viewer will not see the idea in the bottle, so would this be a problem? As a viewer, all they will see is a bottle with a piece of paper screwed up inside it.

But the reality is what they are viewing is an idea?

This project then flags up some questions…

Is it important for the viewer to know the idea?

Is there even an idea inside the bottle?

As an Artist, am I producing Art with integrity?

Is it important for an Artist to be honest?

I am assuming these ideas are made valuable because they are contained with in the small bottle.

The bottles are still a piece of Art themselves because of the purpose of the idea and artist (me) intention behind each bottle.

When I state that when I have an idea I will right it down on the rizzla and place it into the bottle, in what context will the idea be?

I am going to right down the moment another door opens, in my mind regarding the Art world.

i will keep you updated about my ideas and the development of this project will progress from these ideas.

Art generally forces the viewer to view things differently and think openly about things/subjects differently. Even if the artwork is just for aesthetic pleasure, that looks nice hanging on the wall in the living room, it still started with an idea. The painting contained in the frame or on the canvas is just the results of an idea, just the Artists interpretation of an idea.

I’m using paintings as an example because in my opinion Paintings appear to be the most typical form of Art perceived from an “outsiders” point of view.

For example, my Granddad always states to me, “Art is a nice drawing or painting”, not all this other palaver the Art world brings to the viewers today.

When I refer to “outsiders”, I mean the uneducated people, in Art who have an opinion on Art and on what Art is.

For example, Picasso had an idea before he painted “Girl before a mirror” in 1932, even though the painting can appear aesthetically pleasing the viewer is in fact appreciating an idea as a physical thing. In this, case the painting.

This is very interesting because “Girl before the mirror” is very personal to Picasso because it is his young mistress Marie Therese Walter.

When the viewer initially looks at the painting, they will relate it to their own world and make the painting personal to them through their own ideas. Exactly the same as what Picasso has done, but expressed it through a painting. The painting is just a middle ground were people come together to connect to it but bring their own interpretations of ideas away from it.

The viewer makes their own ideas, the viewer does not know Picasso’s young mistress so how can they relate and have the same connection with the painting as the Artist?

What happens if I take this middle ground of the artwork out and just highlight the idea? The idea does not get enough credit. Viewers are under an illusion that the “painting” (painting being used as an example of physical art) is amazing and as a result, this is were appreciation is aimed at the physical appearance of the Art. When in fact what the viewers don’t grasp, is it’s their own mind making the Art work a good piece of Art.

Does that make the Artist, a machine? to presents ideas to the viewers to reinterpret? Does an artist just take advantage of the viewer’s own conscious? Because people do not see that, what their viewing is in fact a reflection of themselves and their own reality?

You never know maybe that is why Picasso painted his mistress facing a mirror, which portrayed a different reflection?