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Question of the Month

What is Art? and/or What is Beauty?

The following answers to this artful question each win a random book.
Art is something we do, a verb. Art is an expression of our thoughts, emotions, intuitions, and
desires, but it is even more personal than that: it’s about sharing the way we experience the world,
which for many is an extension of personality. It is the communication of intimate concepts that
cannot be faithfully portrayed by words alone. And because words alone are not enough, we must
find some other vehicle to carry our intent. But the content that we instill on or in our chosen media is
not in itself the art. Art is to be found in how the media is used, the way in which the content is
expressed.

What then is beauty? Beauty is much more than cosmetic: it is not about prettiness. There are plenty
of pretty pictures available at the neighborhood home furnishing store; but these we might not refer
to as beautiful; and it is not difficult to find works of artistic expression that we might agree are
beautiful that are not necessarily pretty. Beauty is rather a measure of affect, a measure of emotion.
In the context of art, beauty is the gauge of successful communication between participants – the
conveyance of a concept between the artist and the perceiver. Beautiful art is successful in
portraying the artist’s most profound intended emotions, the desired concepts, whether they be
pretty and bright, or dark and sinister. But neither the artist nor the observer can be certain of
successful communication in the end. So beauty in art is eternally subjective.

Wm. Joseph Nieters, Lake Ozark, Missouri

Works of art may elicit a sense of wonder or cynicis

 ISSUES
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 SHOP
 DIGITAL
 PODCASTS
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Your complimentary articles

You’ve read one of your four complimentary articles for this month.

You can read four articles free per month. To have complete access to the thousands of philosophy
articles on this site, please

SUBSCRIBE NOW

Question of the Month

What is Art? and/or What is Beauty?

The following answers to this artful question each win a random book.
Art is something we do, a verb. Art is an expression of our thoughts, emotions, intuitions, and
desires, but it is even more personal than that: it’s about sharing the way we experience the world,
which for many is an extension of personality. It is the communication of intimate concepts that
cannot be faithfully portrayed by words alone. And because words alone are not enough, we must
find some other vehicle to carry our intent. But the content that we instill on or in our chosen media is
not in itself the art. Art is to be found in how the media is used, the way in which the content is
expressed.

What then is beauty? Beauty is much more than cosmetic: it is not about prettiness. There are plenty
of pretty pictures available at the neighborhood home furnishing store; but these we might not refer
to as beautiful; and it is not difficult to find works of artistic expression that we might agree are
beautiful that are not necessarily pretty. Beauty is rather a measure of affect, a measure of emotion.
In the context of art, beauty is the gauge of successful communication between participants – the
conveyance of a concept between the artist and the perceiver. Beautiful art is successful in
portraying the artist’s most profound intended emotions, the desired concepts, whether they be
pretty and bright, or dark and sinister. But neither the artist nor the observer can be certain of
successful communication in the end. So beauty in art is eternally subjective.

Wm. Joseph Nieters, Lake Ozark, Missouri

Works of art may elicit a sense of wonder or cynicis