What is Art

Art is an expression of oneself. It’s not just the sculptures or paintings in museums. It can be anything anyone uses to express themselves. It can be writings, architecture, landscaping, and even cave drawings. Cave drawings may have started out as a way to communicate but have become what many consider art now. Though the definition of what constitutes art has been disputed for many years, one thing remains certain, each person has their own idea of what constitutes art and how it registers in their own mind. An artist can have an extensive education or a child drawing with chalk on the sidewalk.
What one considers to be art may be motivated by general popularity, social standings, or personal taste. For example, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, why is it so famous? Does everyone think it is the best painting in the world or is it just more famous for being famous than a great painting. I have seen much better paintings but this painting is the one I would recognize first by name or sight. I think this is because of general popularity.
I prefer art that is symmetrical or brings a sense of balance, like Da Vinci’s The Last Supper. I also liked Claude Monet’s work. His paintings of scenery are very calming and the colors are realistic. A favorite is A Corner of the Apartment. There is so much detail in his paintings it seems as if you could feel yourself in those places.
Abstract art is my least favorite. I don’t see it as art. When I look at it I always wonder what type of person could create that type of artwork. I wonder if something in their life happened to make them express themselves this way. Like Rene Magritte, a lot of his work had distorted faces, covered faces, or even missing faces. It was reported that his mother drowned herself and when found her dress was covering her face. So I wonder more about the artist’s life than the actual artwork they have created. I believe the formal qualities of art are less important than the