Are There Rules for Art?

by Raegan Densmore

Have we gone lazy? Is making art merely just a way to rack in money? Why are splashes of paint on a huge canvas worth millions of dollars? Modern art and minimalism is the dagger in many people’s hearts, it infuriates them. Many believe that in today's society, we have lost the true meaning of art. The most expensive pieces are minimalistic works. But have artists lost the meaning of art, or did the consumers forget that there are meanings to art? 

There really are no rules when it comes to what defines art. Anything that is created can be considered a work of art. Not every piece has to be highly detailed, and artwork that is detailed is not necessarily better than one that is not. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what may not seem like art to you, may be a masterpiece to someone else, and what may not have any meaning to you, may have much meaning to someone else. The idea that a minimalistic piece is not art and has no meaning is interesting. Minimalism does not equal lazy. We don’t know the artist’s brain, what they were really thinking when making that piece, unless they say, of course. Minimalism may be the style they were going for because it fits the message that they want to portray in their piece. 

While detail is loved in art, and can easily portray a message, it is not the only factor that can do this; colour is another example that has meaning as well. We learn in school that different colours have different meanings; purple is associated with royalty, white is purity, beginnings or even emptiness, red is used often by fast food restaurants as it is associated with hunger. Art does not always have to be portrayed with detailed pieces, it can also be portrayed simply by colours. However, this is not to say that every artist has to go by the book and the general meanings, they can interpret the colours in their own way. This just goes to show that detail is not the only important aspect of art and there can be other factors as well.

This hatred for modern and minimalistic art is the real weapon destroying art. Why are we making rules and strict definitions of what art is? Of course, not every piece has to be enjoyed and understood, but art is art nonetheless. Symbolization and meaning does not have to be full of detail. While you may not get it, someone else understands, and sometimes the simplest appearing things may have more detail than you believe.