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What is Art

Man has always throughout time been a creator. I have often said that artists creating art is as close as we will ever come to being God, creating something from nothing. Art is something made/created. From earliest time human's ability to create was necessary for survival. The ability to create shelter, make tools, clothing, and grow crops were all necessary, useful creations.

As man reached the Renaissance Period art changed. The invention of steel tools, hammers and chisels to create sculpture. The invention of oil paint, brushes, high quality canvas and papers. But were any of these items necessary to survival anymore? Art changed into objects to make us feel and influence our thinking but had no use in survival. Art also became both tangible and intangible. Things like dance, plays and music emerged. Intangible art could only be experience and not owned or possessed. The art audience was drastically expanded. At this point, the audience became those that purchased tangible art and those that experienced intangible art.

In the post-Industrial Age art has changed again, as what was intangible art, became tangible with technology. Now music and dance, performing arts could be recorded and sold. Now intangible art is converted to tangible art and enters into the marketplace. In this age the definition of art has expanded once again. Can a building be considered art? Yes, but not every building. Could a transistor radio or an early Tandy computer be art? Of course, as our definition of art expands to include historical or rare items.

Now the art market is dramatically expanded in terms of available art types and artists. Art is now made up of almost anything from tokens, buildings and technology in addition to traditional arts. It seems with the new art form Non-fungible tokens are more related to alternate currency than works of art. As with all art it is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Most art's value is based on the artist's credentials. If you covered the signature would the art be worth the same value? Would Andy Warhol's Cambell's Soup Can painting be worth the same without Warhol's signature?

Now that we are likely in our infancy in the computer age and the very invention of Artificial Intelligence (AI) raises the question of art produced by an AI computer. Will an AI computer be able to impart emotion into art? Will an AI computer be able to build credentials as an artist? Will the buying public opt for cheap ink prints versus human produced brush work and painting medium? Will Van Gogh's painting "Starry Night" now become worthless because an AI computer can predict how Van Gogh would have painted any subject from analyzing his 2000 other paintings? Will we have lost touch with our humanity? Some interesting thoughts we will soon answer in the near future as art evolves. What are your thoughts.

Best Regards,

Patrick Faile