"But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? / It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!" (Romeo and Juliet, 2.2.2-3).
"Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary." (Dead Poets Society, 1989).
"Elementary, my dear Watson." (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 1939)
"My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." (Forrest Gump, 1994)
What do all of these famous quotes have in common? They are part of artworks that have stood the test of time. You may say, "They are from books or movies, not art." So I pose the question to you: what is considered art? Or rather, why are books and movies not considered forms of art? As defined by Merriam-Webster, "art" has 6 different definitions, all or any of which could apply here: skill acquired by experience, skill, or observation; a branch of learning; an occupation requiring knowledge or skill; the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects/ works so produced/ fine arts; a skillful plan; decorative or illustrative elements in the printed matter ("art"). In other words, art is a broad category. As the times have changed in culture, society, and technology, art has changed too! It is intriguing to me that despite what critics say, there are lots of new art forms today that have come into existence, and whenever something is new in mainstream society, it will always be criticized by someone.
Memes have taken the digital world by storm. Especially popular today as seen here, are the classical art memes. All I did was search "Mona Lisa meme" in Google, and it is hilarious how many different memes there are. Meme culture has grown exponentially as internet usage continues to grow along with general information, news and media, and the visual culture that society is increasingly visual. When the global pandemic began, an upsurge in memes, in general, was seen to help alleviate dealing with the stress of the lockdown and the pandemic for everyone; "they employ comedy to address numerous topics including politics, work-life balance, the economy, and personal relationships" (Vlachou, et al. 1). Museums themselves have changed the way they interact with visitors; they increasingly have taken their art to new platforms online, made available various hands-on activities or "interactive" aesthetic experiences to keep viewers engaged, for influencers and 'regular visitors' alike. This research I looked at in "An Examination of Classical Art Impact and Popularity through Social Media Emotion Analysis of Art Memes and Museum Posts" examined the now-close relationship between memes, social media, and museums. It examined the relationships between the emotions that memes illicit and how memes are shared by viewers or influencers, and how comments, shares, or hashtags related to the popularity of the memes overall. One might have guessed this without any research at all: comedy is king! Everyone loves to laugh, and laughter helps to alleviate darker emotions that cloud our minds in times of harder events (like war or a global pandemic, for example). While memes in general cover many emotions, it seems that to be able to laugh, joke, and smile allows for the most shares and likes or "heart" emojis.
The juxtaposition of original classical art pieces with relatable lines in our everyday lives, like the one pictured here, makes it more funny and almost satirical. It's relatable, it's funny, and you want to share it with others so they can laugh too. Laughing also increases circulation of blood flow in the body, and releases endorphins- the naturally occurring "feel-good" chemicals in the body, as well as decreasing stress hormones and increasing immune function. Hearing these things about why laughter is so fun, it's only natural that when we laugh, we want to help others laugh too.
It's also interesting how memes are compared to biology: "Like genes, memes are defined as replicators that undergo variation, competition, selection, and retention [...] Meme culture has evolved as a result of the widespread use of the Internet and the rapid assimilation of knowledge about what's occurring across the world" (Vlachou, et al. 4). We see so many "snapshots" of the same pictures get used over and over for different sayings, creating different memes; people want to use memes to participate in the same online culture and stay up-to-date with news at the same time. Another big part of the meme culture is selfies, and the classical art world is no stranger to it, as some think. "Some academics have referred to selfies as an art form. [...] van Gogh's and Rembrandt's self-portraits are the earliest known selfies. [...] found that museum selfies can enhance visitor interaction with artworks. They claim it is also influenced by the visitor's emotional response to the artworks" (Vlachou, et al. 5). Different types of visitors and selfies were even further divided into categories, and examined the relationship behind each one: reality escapers, selfie lovers, photoholics, and art enthusiasts. For myself, I would fall into three of those categories alone. I love to be able to visit museums as a place of culture, education, and learning; in today's technologically fast-paced society, they are even more interactive now than ever.
I want to go back to the definition of art here, then I have a question for you, the reader. One of the definitions read, "the conscious use of skill and creative imagination, especially in the production of aesthetic objects." Here's my question: why is graffiti not considered an art form by some people?
Especially in the case of graffiti here, where generally the medium is a building or street side, I would think that would be a harder medium to work with; you also have to be able to work outside in the weather (whatever it may be) and be able to use materials that are weatherproof, or let your artwork be washed away by the next storm. In examining this highly debated art, I read "From the Street to Art Galleries: How Graffiti Became a Legitimate Art Form," and found a lot of cool information about the art form that I didn't know previously. Looking back on the etymology (or word history), it actually goes back to murals, inscriptions, or drawings made in ancient cities, and now has come to encompass elaborate paintings and art that we see today in many urban centers, like the mural above. One of the earliest memories I have of seeing graffiti on tv is from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" theme song intro, where a young Will Smith got into trouble with the police for making graffiti art on public property (which you can also see here for some nostalgia). The places most famous for some art like this are New York City, or more specifically, the New York City transit system. In the 60s and 70s, we saw an evolution of art styles from just blocky lettering or names to more sophisticated styling, and street art competitions, with whoever won that week being crowned "king" of that time period, until the next competition. Part of the negative stereotypes associated with this art is the association with street gang culture, and graffiti loosely being tied to the hip-hop movement of the time as well.
Another great example of the other side here: people who have "trivialized" all the graffiti to being "low-brow" or "trash," as not art at all, but vandalism. The article "Vandalism or art? Graffiti straddles both worlds" also expresses the idea that it's a fine line between vandalism and art, but that they both stem from this ancient, universal idea that everyone wants to be remembered- the urge to scratch your initials in a tree, in fresh cement, on a school desk, or the side of a building; they want to be remembered somehow. As Sue Honnaker (the Seattle anti-graffiti coordinator at the time of this article) says, "It's not a question of art. It could be the Mona Lisa, but if it's on the side of your house, your rights are violated" ("Graffiti or art?"). Many of the major cities spend up in the millions on cleaning the cities, and there's a fine line: graffiti that encourages criminal behavior, versus graffiti that is art and an expression of cultural roots. It goes back to "an aesthetic of filling empty space," just like ancient Mayans or Aztecs, or people that choose to get tattoos on their bodies- it's a form of artistic expression, only using the body as the canvas. Graffiti and street art will continue to evolve and be debated most likely, but I can't wait to see where artists take it next.
Speaking of "taking it to the next level," there's one more highly debated topic: art made by Artificial Intelligence, or AI. Digital art, or art made with technology, has blown the art world apart. Is art made by an AI actually art?
If we're going by the definitions from Merriam-Webster in the beginning, then yes, it does! All of these objects are art, also. Works of art made with skill and creativity, with decorative and printed elements. So, what's all the fuss about? Here I take a look at the critic's side: "AI Art Controversy: Hype, Skepticism, and Copyright Issues"- in a world where AI or other digital tools can seamlessly update photos, copy any artist's style, or edit other people's work, where does new creativity come in? As Hencz talks about in this article, it is important to have human interaction as well: AI art is largely generated from user-given prompts: either other images, or words. Each AI processes tons of data to make images based on prompts from users, but that's the catch, isn't it? Prompts from users; they are as good as what they are made to be. On that same point, how is the AI itself made? Technology created by humans is then used to create other things- works of art, 3-D printing, or even music to play. There's another aspect though, that so many cry against AI- they lack the same creativity and imagination.
I came across another interesting article too: "Ask not what AI can do for art, but what art can do for AI"- in other words, a completely different perspective! People love to criticize what they don't understand, or don't like, but then won't take the time to understand it. This article by Meredith Tromble shows the research behind those who have taken time to research and understand and explore these topics together and their thoughts on it. "I bring you about the relationship between art and AI, a text which is shaped more like a loose knot around a possibility than a stair stepping to a conclusion" (Tromble 1); in other words, art and AI help each other, they are not in competition with each other. What critics say AI lacks, is the art itself helps AI learn. Some may have critics of that too: science fiction movies and dystopian novels become reality when we help AI learn and it will eventually take over the world. So...what should we do? Do we push the boundaries of our known technology, to see what it can do? Or do we decry everything and leave art to humans? These are much larger questions than I have time or space for, but they are interesting to explore and see where society in the future takes us.
What is art, but using our creativity beyond the limits that we know? "To infinity and beyond!" (Toy Story, 1995). Art isn't just on a canvas, or in a person's mind. Art is everywhere and takes many forms! As society continues to change with our new events and new technologies, I hope art will change with it, and I can't wait to see where it will take us.
Here is a link to some new and interesting forms of art not well-known.
Or, here's another look at art criticizing itself.
Works Cited and Referenced
“Act 2, Scene 2.” myShakespeare, 4 Apr. 2022, myshakespeare.com/romeo-and-juliet/act-2-scene-2.
“Art.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/art. Accessed 12 Jun. 2023.
Diallo, David. “From the Street to Art Galleries: How Graffiti Became a Legitimate Art Form.” Revue de Recherche En Civilisation Américaine, 2014.
Hart, Meredith. “The Top 50 Famous Movie Quotes (How Many Do You Know?).” HubSpot Blog, 11 Mar. 2022, blog.hubspot.com/sales/famous-movie-quotes.
Hencz, Adam. “Ai Art and How Machines Have Expanded Human Creativity.” Artland Magazine, 24 Apr. 2023, magazine.artland.com/ai-art/.
Hencz, Adam. “Ai Art Controversy: Hype, Skepticism & Copyright Issues.” Artland Magazine, 24 Apr. 2023, magazine.artland.com/ai-art-creativity-controversy/.
“Laugh a Little! How Laughter Helps Our Brain Reduce Stress.” Constant Therapy, 17 Nov. 2022, constanttherapyhealth.com/brainwire/laugh-a-little-how-laughter-helps-our-brain-reduce-stress/.
Reichenbach, Jean. “Vandalism or Art? Graffiti Straddles Both Worlds.” UW Magazine - University of Washington Magazine, 1991, magazine.washington.edu/feature/vandalism-or-art-graffiti-straddles-both-worlds/.
“The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirTheme Song (Full).” YouTube, 3 Feb. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nCqRmx3Dnw.
Tromble, Meredith. “Ask Not What AI Can Do for Art... but What Art Can Do for AI.” Artnodes, no. 26, 2020, https://doi.org/10.7238/a.v0i26.3368.
Vlachou, S.; Panagopoulos, M. An Examination of Classical Art Impact and Popularity through Social Media Emotion Analysis of Art Memes and Museum Posts. Information 2022, 13, 468. https://doi.org/10.3390/info13100468
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