My name is Megan Anderson and my major is Wildlife. Originally I am from the area Fresno, California (technically from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada’s) and transferred to HSU last fall. I am a senior if you look at my credits and a junior in my major. I have no sort of anthropology background but met a lot of really cool anth majors last year and wanted to see what the fun was all about.
By taking this class I hope to learn anything. I took art classes in high school where I learned what to do but not much on the ideas behind works of art, and when it comes to anthropology I am a blank canvas. I hope to widen my views on culture and society as well as get a basic understanding of how art has and will continue to play a significant role in many societies. The idea of art is not going anywhere anytime soon. Through this class I look forward to changing my perception of what art is and broadening my view of how it affects cultures and even ourselves.
This brings me to the question “What is Art?” According to Dictionary.com art is “the class of objects subject to aesthetic criteria.” In truth that says nothing as to what art is besides something judged on the way it looks. To me art is so much more; something that does not fall easily into a specific classification or definition. In its most raw definition, to me art is something man made designed to invoke or reflect upon some sort of emotion. Art must be made, or at least altered in order to be considered. While a tree may be beautiful and invoke a feeling it is not art. Also, making something simply for a practical purpose or for no reason at all is not art. Useful items can be art, but only if the purpose of the item was not the only thing considered in its making.
In class we listed many things art can do. It can tell a story, show power, communicate tradition, present a perspective, etc. The function of art does not effectively explain what it is. A history book does all those things but I would not consider that art. It lacks the emotional draw that only art can do. Things like music, paintings, sculpture, theatre, and photography all draw out some sort of feeling, whether that is good or bad. That is what art is. It is a man made manifestation of emotion.
