When someone is asked about what his or her favorite piece of art is, they normally would refer to either a painting or perhaps a sculpture. This is a case where the people of the present day have been subjected to what is socially acceptable. Who the artist is, how much it was sold for, or where the artwork was shown sets the standards in today’s society determines whether something is good art or bad art. It is not to say that sculptures and paintings are not great examples of fine art but rather it is as though a person has tunnel vision when thinking about what their favorite art is because they have not been subjected to biased opinions and not having the ability to see the many different art forms that are out there.
Suzi Gablik argues in her essay titled The Nature of Beauty In Contemporary Art that art is starting to become more than just going to a gallery. She describes how “a new paradigm of an engaged, participatory and socially relevant art is emerging.” Ms. Gablik shows how a majority of artists are selling their work to a dealer and the process they go through in doing so, it is not helping today’s society in any way. She finds out from one artist that “No artist has ever changed anything for better or worse." They believe they are not socially responsible for helping out the world and making it a better place. Ms. Gablik states this is completely wrong.
She then describes how one of her close friends her and friends take time once a month to go and clean garbage out of a river. She describes this as true art for it is helping the wellbeing of society. Her friend also makes a deep connection with the river to a point where the relationship is more than just how she was trying to help clean it out. The connection she makes is one that is deeper than she could have ever made with a painting or something she is viewing at an art gallery or a museum. It is because she is personally making her own connection with society and using the river as her landscape for creating her masterpiece. The connection she makes with the earth is far greater than one could ever make while stroking a brush a crossed a canvas because she is changing the earth for the better.
Joseph Beuys is an artist who is a bit exotic compared to others. He is known for his sculptures but one of his most famous pieces of work is his three night stay in New York City with a coyote. Mr. Beuys spent the time with the coyote in hopes of making a certain connection. This is far different from the concept of most artists work. Although the idea has sketched me out more than made me think of his artwork as unique and interesting, you still have to respect Mr. Beuys work for he is trying to help society for the better in the way he was trying to understand a form of life better.
Art has given the world many great contributions. The problem is the contributions have not helped the world’s society change for the good. Paintings will not pick up the garbage that is killing our environment. Sculptures do not help decrease the air pollution. Art comes in all shapes and forms so when someone is out in a ditch doing their part to help the environment I believe they are making a bigger connection with helping today’s society than an artist’s connection he is making with his work in a gallery with a viewer.
