A Perception of Art

"What strikes me is the fact that in our society, art has become something which is related only to objects and not to individuals, or to life. That art is something which is specialized or which is done by experts who are artists. But couldn't everyone's life become a work of art? Why should the lamp, or the house be an art object, but not our life?" -Michel Foucalt

I agree with Mr. Foucalt entirely. Too often the world twists our perception of things, and art as a concept is no exception. Society would have us believe it is an elite thing, only to be accomplished by the outstandingly creative or thoughtful or deep, when that is honestly probably the most snobbish and/or shallow way we could think of it.

My own personal definition of art ranges from trivial to cheesy: "Pretty to look at," all the way down the spectrum to "an expression of the human soul." Does not the mathematician express himself through numbers and formulaic logic? The child, open like a book, through tears and laughter and whining? The politician through speeches and image and manipulation? Everything we do is 'art.' It is us, it is ourselves, in the most personal and pure way possible--material expression of that might turn out to be a magnificent painting, or it may not. Life itself is the greatest work of art there ever was or is. Just look at the mountains driving into Boulder, or all the little flecks of color in your eyes, or all the different intonations and undertones of your own voice. We are gifted with something beautiful. You don't have to be a painter or a poet to be an artist--you just have to be here, now. Alive.

Mannnn, I told you it was gonna get cheesy up in here.