Re: But how would you argue that this is NOT art?

In college a painting was making the local New York City
scene, and was written up in a few articles. This painting was
shown to us in three classes, by three different teachers.

My "Experimental Studio" teacher raved about it. Look at the
lines, see how it affected the picture plane, the
concepts..wonderful!

My "Art History/Aesthetics" teacher gave it a nod, noting that
it was an important work, of artistic historical significance,
but not as well done as it should have been.

My "Traditional Painting" teacher called it crap. Worse than
crap. Not art.

In order to get good grades, I had to recall what each
professor's opinion was. Each chose to use that image for part
of their final exams. And for each one, I dutifully wrote down
what each one had expressed. Art School is not about having
opinions of your own.

Art is all about opinions. It is never objective. Is an Amish
quilt ART? What of the porcupine quill decorated clothing of
the Native Americans? And who decided that oldest recorded
cave paintings were done by men? Why are women painters
ignored in Jansen's, "History of Art?" What of the sand
paintings done by monks that are pure emphemera--created only
to be decontructed?

What is Art? Tell your students that Art is expression,
learning, and questioning. It also reflects history.
Deconstruction and Dada came out of Depressions and Wars.

Ideas of Art come from what was made to last. A
well-constructed oil painting can last centuries. What of
Julian Schnabel's paintings with broken plates attached? When
the adhesive dries out, and the bits begin to fall off, will
they be replaced, or allowed to fall off as a continuation of
the "painting-in-progress"? Is that Art?

You can drive yourself crazy trying to pin it down.

If a student wants to learn something Objective, then a course
in Chemistry or Mathematics is the order of the day. But Art
will remain fluid, ever-changing, and always moving forward.

If you want to impress on your students, "What is Art?", I can
suggest that you have them take a trip to an art conservator
to show how pieces are restored, whether it's a painting, a
sculpture, or items like tapestries. And some of the best
works of Art have been systematically destroyed by
well-meaning conservators. (i.e. "The Last Supper," by DaVinci
and the Sistine Chapel's ceiling by Michelangelo.)

The best way to teach students about Art is to bring up the
very question--"What is Art?" If they want a career in the
Arts, first make sure to destroy the myth that an artist is a
black-clad, cigarette-smoking nihilistic neurotic who would
never "sell-out." Artists are productive, healthy people who
are passionate at what they do, and enjoy being able to do
what they love for a living.

Being Famous is not Art. Being infamous is not Art. Creating
is Art, and Art is Creating.

Hope this helps. Sincerely, A. FormerArtist