Grewal 1

Gia Grewal

Mrs. Ochoa

Ap Language

15 February, 2024

What is Art?

Art can be seen in many shapes and forms, often portrayed by paintings, murals,

sculptures. Famous artists like Leonardo daVinci and Cloude Monet who’s mediums are painting

often receive the high end of the bargain. However, is more of a verb, it’s an expression of our

thoughts, emotions, and our desires. Art is our perspective of the world, it’s an extension of our

personality.

Forms of art may express feelings of hope, love, and despair. These works can be

complex or can be as simple as a small doodle. However each form of art holds an emotion, a

part of us. Although art grew almost 50,000 years ago, it still is prevalent and permanent today in

society. For instance the Starry Night by Vincent Van Goh was painted about 135 years ago, yet

the painting still holds significance in modern life. Van Goh’s expression of light and darkness

and of life itself can still be seen today on our bags, on our phone cases, on our clothes, and even

on some of our faces; it’s almost as if we are carrying a part of Van Goh. Art is a conduit of

expression, a way for artists to illustrate their perspective and emotions, and it can be seen in

many shapes and forms.

Literature and Cinematography are also great examples of art. Memoirs such as the Glass

Castle by Jeanette Walls and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini are beautiful depictions of

one’s life stories with a life lesson. One of the most famous lines from The Kite Runner by
 Grewal 2

Khaled Hosseini was, “Huddled together in the dining room and waiting for the sun to rise, none

of us had any notion that a way of life had ended” ( Hosseini, 36). Housseini’s illustration of the

impact of bombings in his country was a form of art as he expressed how one his childhood

completely flipped, leading to chaos, confusion, and forced maturity. Literature can be seen as a

form of art as the words on a page seem to enchant our minds with fantasies of their lives.

Fiction, non-fiction, horror, memoirs, science fiction, there’s a large variety of books.

However, one commonality between all of them is their ability to capture moments in

words. Similar to paintings, books also illustrate moments. They both have the power to express

emotions of hatred, love, and simply the beauty and chaos of our world. Art cannot be defined to

simply one medium as it is an extension of an artist's self, a part of them given for their creation.

A conduit, for emotions, stories, and the past, future, and present; art is a timeless opportunity to

share our stories.

 Grewal 3

Works Cited

Howard, David “ What is art? and /or What is Beauty?” 2024

https://philosophynow.org/issues/108/What_is_Art_and_or_What_is_Beauty