The Referent Part 3 - What is Art?

Introduction

At the end of the previous essay, I said that I needed to define what art is to continue exploring how the Referent applies to artistic creation.  This essay features this definition, presented as a list called The Tenets of Art.  

The logic for this list is simple: in order to create something, we need to know what that thing is.  We need to have a description we can use as a guide.  Here, the goal is to create art, so we need a description of what art is.  Because art is a complex matter, this description is complex.  I wish I could give you a simple definition, a one-liner, something you can take with you and quote whenever someone asks you ‘what is art?’ You could then answer, ‘Oh, that’s simple, art is … and quote me.  Unfortunately, art is not simple, and it does not lend itself to a brief summary.  In fact, this is one of the chopping stones that stand in the path of many who talk about art.  They describe art in overly simplistic terms such as “Art? I know it when I see it’.  Or ‘Something is art if it excites me visually.’  Or, ‘art is what creates an emotional reaction in me.’ Or again, ‘Art is anything I say is art’.

Those are prevalent ‘definitions.’ I put definitions in quotation marks because they are problematic.  Often, these statements are made to dismiss the need for a better understanding of what art is, an understanding that requires study and reflection instead of, for example, waiting to encounter visually or emotionally stimulating artwork. Personally, many things excite me visually or physically that are not art. Therefore, defining art on the basis of a physical reaction or defining art as being ‘anything I want.’ is both convenient and dismissive.  Convenient because it negates the need to study art and instead relies on instinct alone to decide what is or is not art.  Dismissive because it negates the need to find out how professional artists define art. 

Technically, there is nothing wrong with these prevalent answers.  After all, this is a free country, and if these answers work for you, use them.  The problem is not that these answers are not valid.  The problem is that they are superficial.  They only touch the surface of what art is.  The problem is also that, from a teaching perspective, they are not helpful in learning how to create art.  How can a student improve the work they have done so far when they believe that ‘they will know it is art when they see it’?  The fact is, they cannot because they have no way to assess the quality of their art.  To improve, they will have to wait until they produce work that they recognize as art, which may or may not happen.  

Epistemic Work

This essay can be construed as epistemic work, epistemology being the part of philosophy that studies knowledge.  Creating a list of what I consider to be the tenets of art is therefore work done to further our knowledge and understanding of art.

As such, it is somewhat outside of the field of the referent, which is the focus of this series of essays. Knowing what is art will not help us find our Referent because this knowledge addresses not us but anyone who engages in the creation of art.  However, this knowledge is important for epistemic reasons.  We need to know what is art in order to create art.  In other words, we may not create art because knowing what art is is our Referent, but we need to know what art is in order to create work that is art.

This essay consists of a series of short statements organized in paragraphs. This list is not inclusive.  Additional statements may be added at a later time.  

Together, these statements create a list of what I consider to be the most important aspects of art.  They also represent my personal idea of what is art.  You may agree with it or you may not.

I previously used this essay in workshops and seminar presentations.  However, the version you are reading here has been extensively rewritten and reorganized.  It is now separated into three parts, which will be featured in three different essays.  The first part, which you are reading now, focuses on what is art. The second part focuses on creating art, what is an artist, and the third part on being an artist. 

The Tenets of Art

– Art is the representation of personal aesthetic concepts.  In photography, this representation is visual. Therefore, photographic art is the visual representation of personal aesthetic concepts.

– Aesthetics is the set of principles that address the nature and appreciation of beauty.  Aesthetics is also the branch of philosophy that deals with the principles of beauty and artistic taste.

– Creating photographic art is based on using this set of aesthetic principles in photographs. These aesthetic principles consist of the use of color, contrast, composition, format, field of view, subject matter, facture, exposure, processing, manipulation, and more.

– Art is not documentation.  Art and documentation are two different things.  Art is about transforming reality.  Documentation is about recording reality faithfully.  Documenting is making a copy of reality.  Creating art is transforming reality into something else.  Art is a personal depiction of the world.  

Documentation is a generic depiction of the world.  Art is showing what you see.  Documentation is showing what everyone sees.  Art is subjective.  Documentation is objective.

– Art is not craft.  In art, the message comes first, and craftsmanship comes second. In craft, craftsmanship comes first, and the message comes second.  What an artist wants to say is more important than the techniques this artist uses to say it.  This means that improving their artistic message is the primary purpose of artists.  Improving their craft is a secondary goal.  Most photographers want to improve their craftsmanship first.  This is effective if their goal is to create documentary images.  However, if their goal is to create art, improving their artistic message is the most effective way of creating artistic photographs.

– A work of art does not need a practical application.  Its purpose is to depict something in a manner that the artist finds artistic. 

– What ‘artistic’ means depends on the artist.  Artistic means different things to different artists.  For some, it means following a previously accepted artistic style.  For others, it means challenging the status quo.

– Art does not need to follow accepted tenets of beauty to be art.  Just because a work of art challenges our concept of beauty does not mean it is not art.  

– The goal of an artist may be to create art that pleases our senses.  The goal of an artist may be to create art that shocks our senses.

– Art is often ambiguous or intriguing.  The full meaning of a work of art does not always reveal itself during the first viewing.  It often requires multiple viewings.  Art can also elicit multiple interpretations.

– Art is a polarized activity.  This means art generates extreme reactions, either positive or negative.  The fact that a work of art receives both types of comments is normal and expected. Artwork that pleases the majority of the audience is uncommon.

– Viewing art does not leave people indifferent. The experience of viewing and experiencing art creates powerful reactions in the audience.  Often, people love it or hate it. Extreme reactions are expected.  Mild reactions are uncommon.  

– Art is not good or bad.  Art is not what we like, and ‘non-art’ is not what we do not like.  Art is art.  Just because we do not like an artist’s work does not mean that their work is not art. What it means is that we do not like the work of a specific artist. 

– To understand the art of a specific artist, we need to understand this artist’s vision, the message they are sharing, their goals, their history, the progression of their work over the course of their career, the artistic movements they joined or created, and any other information relevant to the creation of their work. 

– Art is not a scientific experiment; therefore, artistic endeavors do not need to be proven right or wrong the way scientific theories are tested.  This means it is unnecessary to follow the scientific testing method when trying to understand a work of art.  Art is art, and science is science.  The two exist on different planes.  I understand that some aspects of photography use scientific elements, for example, cameras, computers, software, and the like; however, this scientific content addresses gear, software, and consumables. It does not address artistic endeavors such as inspiration, personal vision, artistic taste, color palette, facture, art movements, and all the other artistic aspects of artistic mediums.

– Art is not repeatable.  The same subject photographed at different times will not result in the same photograph.  Similarly, a photograph hand-processed the same way two different times will not look exactly the same.

– Art cannot be quantified.  For example, we cannot say ‘this is art because the artist worked on it for seven days.” The artist may work on a work of art for 7 days or may work on it for 7 minutes or even 7 seconds, and all of these pieces will have the same opportunity of being art. If they are art, it is because of the reasons listed in this essay, not because of how long the artist spent creating them.  Some art takes a long time to create, while other art takes a short time. Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling took years to complete, while Picasso’s Palombes drawing took only a few seconds to draw, yet both are art. 

– Art is about quality, not quantity.  This means it is more important to do great work in small quantities than mediocre work in large quantities.  It also means that an artist’s output does not come into play when assessing if this artist’s work is art or not.  Some artists create large amounts of work while other artists create small amounts of work.  Both create art.  The only difference is some artists are more productive than others.

– Art is divided into two parts: the creative arts and the decorative arts.  Decorative arts are called applied arts, or arts appliqués, because they are applied to other trades, usually for decorative purposes and for the creation of practical objects.  Decorative arts include furniture, silverware, ceramics, porcelain, jewelry, and many other trades whose purpose is to create practical and decorative objects. The creative arts include painting, drawing, dance, sculpture, theater, music, architecture, digital media, and any other medium used to create items solely for aesthetic purposes.  

– The difference between art and decoration is that art is about emotion, while decoration is about embellishment.

– Photography can be practiced or approached as art, but photography is not art by default.  A photograph is by nature documentary because the nature of the photographic medium is to reproduce. 

What is in front of the lens in a literal manner.  Therefore, if one’s goal is to create art with photography, one has to depart from this implicit aspect of the medium and take it in a different direction, one that is not documentary.  This means either changing the way one’s photographs are captured or changing the way one’s photographs are processed, or both.

– Similarly, being a photographer does not automatically make someone an artist for the reasons outlined above.  Most photographs, particularly those taken casually, the kind usually referred to as ‘snapshots’, are documentary rather than artistic because they show what is in front of the lens without artistic input from the photographer.  

To Be Continued

As I mentioned in the introduction, this is the first of three essays, whose aim is to define what I think is art. The next essay will focus on creating art, and the one after that on being an artist. Just like this essay, they will consist of short statements about art creation and about artists.

About Alain Briot

I create fine art photographs, teach workshops with Natalie, and offer Mastery Tutorials on composition, image conversion, optimization, printing, business, and marketing.  I am the author of Mastering Landscape Photography, Mastering Photographic Composition, Creativity and Personal Style, Marketing Fine Art Photography, and How Photographs are Sold.  All four books are available in eBook format on our website. Free samplers are available.

You can find more information about our workshops, photographs, writings, and tutorials as well as subscribe to our Free Monthly Newsletter on our website.  You will receive 40 free eBooks when you subscribe.

Studying Fine Art Photography With Alain and Natalie Briot

If you enjoyed this essay, you will enjoy attending a workshop with us.  I lead workshops with my wife, Natalie, to the most photogenic locations in the US Southwest. Our workshops focus on the artistic aspects of photography.  While we do teach technique, we do so for the purpose of creating artistic photographs.  Our goal is to help you create photographs that you will be proud of, and that will be unique to you. The locations we photograph include Navajoland, Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley, Zion, the Grand Canyon, and many others.  Our workshops listing is available HERE.

Alain Briot
January 2025

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