Theory 2: The Work of Art, from The Painter Who Lived Inside the Painting / Not Art Theory by Everybody the Artist
Let’s keep going.
We like to call paintings “works of art,” right? That’s not wrong—but it’s not quite right either.
Art is not a painting. It's okay to call paintings works of art because that is what they do. They do the 'work' of Art.
But the real “work” of art isn’t the painting itself. It’s what happens when we look into it.
Let's Start asking the question, 'What is not art?'
Asking this question is fun because it reveals Art’s best kept secret—Art is not a thing; it's an experience.
This little inquiry shows us that Art isn't so much a matter of what we look at, but how and what we see.
By asking, 'What is not Art?' our experience of ordinary things can become very similar to what it's like when we are looking at a painting:
When our eyes in a painting, there’s a freedom to forget what you know and let the painting guide your experience. The Expression can give you a new perspective, maybe even change the way you see the world.
That’s the real work of art.
And Like a painting, this question performs this 'work' of art for us. By reorienting our perception, freeing it, and allowing us to open our eyes to suddenly see that everything can be looked at as art.
But Now here’s the twist:
If art were really some ‘thing,’ like a painting, it should be really easy for all of us to answer the question, “what is not art?” by, like, just pointing to any old ordinary thing and say, 'That right there, that is not art!'
But, funny enough, that just isn't so easy for us to do. It’s as if, as soon as we try to say something isn’t art, the artist within us all immediately needs to reconsider.
When you ask “What is not art?” you’re not just being cheeky. You’re playing with your own perception. You’re giving yourself permission to see ordinary things in an extraordinary way.
Again, it’s not really about what you’re looking at. It’s about how you’re looking.
And so, our question betrays another one of art's little secrets for us. Most art isn't actually meant to be seen as art.
Most art is actually meant to be seen as life.
