What is art?

If you go to an art gallery, you’ll see everything from centuries-old paintings to super-modern installations. But when is something considered “art”?

Beautiful or bizarre

“People use the word ‘art’ to describe things that are or look unique,” says Arthur Crucq, university lecturer in art history at Leiden University. “Paintings, statues or even buildings don’t always need to have a practical purpose. They hold value because they’re beautiful or bizarre. And that’s why we’re attracted to them.”

Basically, art is something that people find beautiful or bizarre. But even those two concepts are subjective and change over time.

Art galleries are a case in point: traditional paintings often depict figures or landscapes, whereas modern paintings often depict shapes and lines. Every time artists or viewers of art do new things, the meaning of the word “art” changes.

Is everything that exists art?

“Art isn’t always obvious,” says Crucq. “The fact that it gets us thinking is what makes it so special.”

But that doesn’t mean that everything is art. “If everything were considered art, art would lose its significance. We’dprobably soon invent another word to describe things we find beautiful or bizarre.”

Answered by Rik Peters