What Is Art?

Is it possible to create art without meaning?

There have been many occasions where I’ve sat down and surrounded myself with a wide variety of tools to create art. I will have my watercolor pencils, my oil pastels, charcoal, graphite, pen and ink. But, all I see when I look down in front of me is a large, blank, white sheet of paper. For me, inspiration can be difficult to express. I feel the influence of my surroundings, but getting it on paper takes work. And what exactly is inspiration? It’s an idea pulled from something else. Is there always a message connected to inspiration? Is there a message in all art that is created? Certainly all art has meaning, right?

If one was to create a piece solely for the intention of making something beautiful or aesthetically pleasing, lacking any meaning, can we call it art? Perhaps creations that are produced for appearance alone can only be called decorations rather than art. Yet, Arnheim said that, “Every painting or sculpture carries meaning. Whether representational or ‘abstract’, it is ‘about something’; it is a statement about the nature of our experience.” We are all touched in some way by the images we see. Creating something just for beauty’s sake must involve some range of emotion. All emotions have meaning to them, so in a sense, the ‘piece without meaning’ actually has meaning.

Arnheim goes on to say, “Compositions by adults are rarely as simple as the conceptions of children; when they are, we tend to doubt the maturity of the maker. This is so because the human brain is the most complex mechanism in nature, and when a person fashions a statement that is to be worthy of him, he must make it rich enough to reflect the richness of his mind.” I agree that logically, of course the ideas presented in an adult’s artwork will be more complex than that of a child’s. But, that doesn’t mean that a piece of art that is presented simply or stylistically child-like should be looked down upon. It is important to see the value in the simplicity of a child’s work. Children see the world so simply and purely – while their artwork may lack the depth of an adult’s, there are certainly ideas present that, as adults, we may forget over time because our perception of our world has changed. Yet, most children may not have any intention in sending a message or presenting an idea. But, that’s the beauty of art – it can be ambiguous.

I’m not completely sure how I feel about Arnheim’s rules for balance and shape in art. I mean, I understand his ideas and I agree with most of what he says, but to me, art is a form of expression. Approaching art should not be a serious thing. It is there, naturally, for everyone. I think techniques are important to create an aesthetically pleasing art piece, but I also think it sort of takes away from the purity or freedom of art, itself. When I sit down to an empty sheet of paper with a strong desire to express my thoughts and emotions, I am not interested in following guidelines for how to make a balanced work. It is an intuitive process. (Actually, everything I’m saying is causing me to second guess myself because I do agree with a lot of Arnheim’s statements, I just didn’t like how I felt about them while I was reading. I need to think about it more. Or maybe create more art.)