What is art? This is a question most of us find it difficult to answer. Although, when you think about it, Art is everywhere around us. It is deeply ingrained in our lives. So, why is it that hard for us to find an indefinite definition for it and do we need to?
Before we start to answer the question, we need to understand whether Art is «definite». It means creating boundaries between what is Art and what is not. I believe it is super individual. We can interpret Art differently. Somebody can even find food as art because it gives a certain satisfaction or pleasure as other aesthetic objects. Any product produced by a human can make you think, reflect, feel, question etc. I would say it sort of a mental energy that’s being produced with it and you need to understand it to truly see the Art. So, that means Art is being defined by the intuitive, objective, subjective, rational, abstract, emotional, etc. triggers of each one of us. It is a collection of individual experiences as well as collective experiences.
Once something is identified as art, we can question the value of it. And is it actually measurable?
Value doesn’t mean only the importance of a work or monetary worth, but it can also refer to the sentimental, cultural, ritualistic or aesthetic importance. And as mentioned earlier, it is open to many interpretations. It is definitely hard to measure the value of an idea in relation to for example culture because of all the questions that the term raises – «what does the value mean?», and «who is asking for it?». In the past few years, many debates has been raised to understand the exact value and impacts of cultural experiences. There has been a growing international interest in the potential of cultural and creative industries mainly to achieve sustainable development and create more inclusive job opportunities. According to Cultural Times, cultural and creative industries is making a big contribution to economic growth. Generating 250 billion dollars per year, creating almost 30 million jobs worldwide. This is important demonstration of the value of arts and culture.
Monetary value, I believe, is the most easiest to set. Other values raise many more questions that can be hard to answer. After all, Art is about how «you» see it and what kind of thoughts it provokes.
Sources:
Jan 20, 2016 The Conversation, «Why art and culture contribute more to an economy than growth and jobs»:
S. Esaak June 23, 2019 ThoughtCo. «How value is defined in Art»:
Making sense of art and design industries 