Montecino, Sarah M.

August 25, 2023

BSN 1C Art Appreciation (A&H 100)

“What Permits Art”

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Art has been around ever since humanity started, for who knows when. It begun with
prehistoric paintings of stick figures on the walls of caves, sculpted figurines, pottery, and
even something as big and mysterious as the megaliths. From those days of making simple
artworks, art and mankind then evolved together as centuries passed, with mankind
developing art into a more complex concept than it used to be as a random cave painting. As
simple as it used to be, everything that we see right now in the modern world is not
considered art. There are qualifications to be one, as humans developed art as an advanced
concept. But if not every visually appealing or emotionally stirring thing that we see and
touch is considered art, then what allows art to be art?

Basically, something is considered or allowed to be an art if it has the functions to be

an art, such that it would have a contextual, physical, personal, socio-cultural, and spiritual
function. With that being said, to achieve those functions, what really does permit art to be art
is the presence of skill in something that is being made and has the intention of being called
an artwork. Other than that, as complex as it is, art has been commonly known to express the
imaginations and feelings of its artists, either verbally or non-verbally, and even in a formal
or informal way. It is a form to reflect the artist in a way that can make you feel a swirl of
emotions that the artist intended the audience to feel. With that, I believe art becomes an art if
it has a meaning or a purpose behind its creation that may stir any emotions in you as well,
for an art may both have a definite or indefinite meaning.

To finish off, art is a somewhat vague yet interesting concept. It makes one see
through their abilities for self-expression and creativity; it makes one become closer to their
culture and heritage; and it makes one’s mind open up and appreciate the aesthetic beauty of
everything surrounding us. Yet, with all of those interesting effects that art can make us do,
understanding art and what makes up art could be ineffable to some. But although most find
it difficult to delineate it, one common goal that most would agree on is that what makes art
an art is the expressive way the artist communicates their emotions and ideas to the audience.