John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

And what is that ‘art’ banana after it turns brown and mushy.

Stephan G

Would the charge against the eater of the banana be "Theft by Conversion"?

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

This is an age old argument about the difference between fashion and utility.

I saw an internet post a week or two ago about fashion. That, too, reaches new heights (depths?) of absurdity.

Being a pragmatist, I ignore fashion and wear clothes for utility. I have discussions with my wife about this occasionally. My definition of utility differs from hers by a lot of rips and abrasions on my clothes. The difference between my fashion and some others I've seen is that my clothing was torn by use, not in the factory.

As far as art is concerned, I believe every artist has the right to generate anything he wants (within the bounds of legality and maybe morality) and call it art. I ibelieve I have the right to reject his concept of art. I do so by not purchasing it (not that I have a lot of money to spend on art in the first place). My mother was a painter and I have several of her pieces on my walls. My mother did not paint abstracts, but I have abstract art on my walls. The art I have is transient in the same way any "normal" painting is transient: it will decay naturally over a period measured in centuries.* I will not consider art that is transient on a time scale of days.

*Of course you can measure any period of time in centuries. A banana will start to decompose noticeably over a period of around 0.0001 century. I refer above to periods ranging from 0.5 and up.

alliebess Loc: suburban Philadelphia

Only if you can convince a well known critic to write about it.

jhkfly

I applaud the artist for offering it as art. It is indeed art...God's art!

I laugh at the fools who believe it is worth more that the price of a banana and a few inches of tape.

jhkfly

I applaud the artist for offering it as art. It is indeed art...God's art!

I laugh at the fools who believe it is worth more that the price of a banana and a few inches of tape.

Cragzop Loc: NYC

I just glued a pumpkin to a canvas. $156.73 for the whole shebang.

ltatko

Just this---banana peels are good for many plants. Don't throw away!!

LenT

Stephan G

Then, it would be safe to say that you do not appreciate the sand art by many cultures? Then there are those forms of art that emphasize their transiency.

"Art" at some level requires a consensus of at least one person.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Will you throw in the rest of the house and land?

Dennis

Phawcore

One other point that I haven’t seen in the responses above is that one way to judge the “worth” of any art is beyond context, but closely connected with that concept. How does the work influence other artists? What has the work stimulated? Where do the ideas and visual aspect of the work lead? What comes next?
The easy way out is to simple say, “Well I like what I know!” Rather than, “I know what I like.” Is “liking something” the same as it’s “worth”? And when does anything become art? Does an object need a viewer to be art? Can an object be considered “art” if it isn’t created by an “artist”?
Again, how long must an object last (exist) before it is considered art? Or what is the shortest length of time must an object exist before it can be considered art?
The question about popularity of any piece was answered above, if that is an acceptable response. But the obverse might be considered
, too. That is, what is the largest number of people number of people who declare an object “not art” before true object is no longer “art?”
Then the question of craftsmanship was alluded to above. How important is technique when determining whether an object is art? Where is the line between “craft” and “art”? Perhaps there isn’t one? Are the metrics even similar enough to rationally compare the two fields?

For example, how are architecture and sculpture different? It has been suggested that the difference is plumbing, but then we have fountains and who wants to live in a fountain?

More to the point, how does this apply to photography? “Writing with light” from the Greek. If I chose to cover a lawn so that a pattern was left when the covering was removed, did I create a photograph? If not, why not? If a photographer made images of the patterns in the grass and presented those images in a gallery, could that be considered art? Does the gallery bestow any legitimacy on the question?

I mean for these questions to be in the spirit of the discussion and will appreciate any responses anyone is gracious enough to make.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Lots of ideas about what art is and isn't.

Something like sand or ice sculpture I can enjoy, but I wouldn't buy one. Can you put a value on something like that?

Stephan G

What price do you put on your enjoyment of the momentary existence art? Live music, for example?

Even the art of food preparations?

When we photograph, most often it is of the passing moment of the creation of art. The resulting prints become relics that bring back to mind that moment.

MrMophoto Loc: Rhode Island "The biggest little"

This has certainly been an interesting thread. The question "What is Art?" has been around for centuries and in my 50+ years working with and teaching art I have realized that art is what ever you want it to be. If two people call it so than it is and what ever someone will pay for it, that's what it is worth. That's the great thing about it. I tell my students there are no right or wrong answers in art, just some answers (art) is better than others. The reason art exists in the first place is that humans are inherently creative, we have a need to be creative, to make things and to improve upon what has been made in the past. If we didn't have this desire we would still be living in caves.
As an artist and an art teacher I will say consider this: the skills, the problem solving and creativity that goes into make art, all these skills are transferable and applicable to just about any other job or career. Thinking outside the box, is an artists approach.
But alas I pontificate.

jhkfly

Ars longa, vita brevis!