Mark Paolo Enrico U.

Obias 2010 31774

03/12/12

Driftwood

A piece of driftwood picked up by an artist and displayed in a museum can be called art to an extent. To be precise these kinds of art fall under a category of art called found art. The earliest example of found art can be found in Pablo Picassos painting of a still life which features a simple chair. His work served as an inspiration for latter artists who conform under this new form of art. Most pieces of work under this new category of art are mostly comprised of common, readymade objects. However, not all everyday objects can be classified under this category. The most important thing is that it must possess an artists input, may it be an idea or a title. Hence, found art can be defined as common objects presented in a different perspective in light of a new idea. In the case of the piece of driftwood, the artist who dares exhibit this work must at least do something with the object; it cannot merely be displayed and called art.

The foremost example of found art is Marcel Duchamps Fountain. A simple, ordinary urinal lay down to its side and placed on top of a pedestal. The title given to his work and the object he used has no clear connection to each other. And also the presentation of the urinal is unusual, instead of an upright position it is laid down to its side. However, it makes you think why, why did the artist present it in this way and what could he have meant by it. The identity of the art comes from the social history that is associated with the object and the artists idea for his imbued in his creation.

However, found art is still criticized by many as being not art. In my opinion, I say the same. In the case of Duchamps Fountain, it is just a mere urinal put on top of a pedestal. It is hard for anyone to find the meaning of this so called art, or to even interpret it in a logical sense. Although, it does in fact possess an idea, like most art does, the work that is put in to it is very minimal, unlike the work of many artists before our time. For example, in Tracy Emins My Bed, the artist features an unmade, ruffled bed. She simply presents a bed, unfixed, and adds a few touches to make it her own. Even I could do this with not that much effort. Moreover, it means that there is minimal technique needed or none at all to make a so called found art. Comparing these kinds of art to the Greek sculptures or Renaissance paintings, they seem to fall short on creativity as well. Art in the past possess exquisite and intricate design, unlike in this new form of art. In general, almost all form of artwork is artificial, manmade. The driftwood is a natural object and placing it on a stand does not make it any less so.

The fact that a simple urinal can be considered art makes it ridiculous no matter what kind of input an artist gives or how it is presented. In my defense, I cannot understand the artists perspective and I merely look at the social history of the object. It may have great contextual value once you understand it but it is not beautiful in any sense. Art should be beautiful and be pleasing to the eyes, which is one of the goals of an artist before. They create their art with the sense that their work must be beautiful and exquisite. Found art lacks that characteristic; it does not catch the viewers eye. If I put that bed in any room, no one would know that that bed would be a piece of art, anyone would just think that that is a bedroom and nothing else.

In recent years, there have been an increasing number of found art works. We can infer that there are people who appreciate this sort of art and artists who use this new form. It must be that people acknowledge this form of art. In society today we hold a lot of ideas based on context and for these ideas to be turned a new it must have significant effect on people. And it must mean that they prefer the contextual value of the art more than its appearance. However, for me, I prefer to appreciate art both in its appearance and the idea it holds. As a student who has only seen and was taught about art in the past, I may not have an appreciation for the modern but that doesnt mean that I am not open to these new ideas presented by artists today in their so called found art.

References: http://www.eco-artware.com/newsletter/newsletter_09_01.php http://www.everydayart.com/artdiscuss.html