Theory 1: Art's Biggest Secret, from The Painter Who Lived Inside the Painting / Not Art Theory by Everybody the Artist
What is Art?
Art is a word that means very different things. It means different things to different people, at different times, and in different places. For that reason, works of art can't actually define art. Art isn't something we can explain by example because there are no all-inclusive examples, because artwork is infinite.
Let’s Think about it this way: artists love to break the rules, right? Every time someone tries to tell us what art is, based on the characteristics of things that they accept to be art, we go and start a movement and make art different just to prove them wrong.
So, if artwork fails to define art, if we can’t define art by what it is… then how do we even begin to explain Art?
Art's big secret: is that art isn't actually any '“thing.” Art is a kind of experience. It’s not about what you’re looking at—it’s about how you’re seeing.
And once you start to get that, you start asking better questions.
Like this one:
What is not art?
Now that’s where things get interesting…
