DAY 22

PHILOSOPHY OF ART

What is an Artist?

DO YOU MAKE THE CUT?

“The artist is not a different kind of person, but every person is a different kind of artist.” —Eric Gill

The above quote is charming in its political correctness, making us feel all warm and fuzzy inside as we bask in our newfound status as artists, but not everyone would agree with it. Other basic definitions of an artist would include “someone who actually does art,” “someone who actually does art well,” and “someone who does art for a living.” Well, which is it?

Obviously, the question is closely related to our previous topic, what is art? If art includes everything from composing symphonies to making coffee, then we certainly are all accomplished artists. However, if we only think of the “fine arts” as true art, then the number of artists in the world quickly diminishes. Even then, the word can be used in different ways. It’s one thing if someone sees you doodling on a notepad and says, “You’re a pretty good artist!” and quite another if someone asks you what you do and you say, “I’m an artist.”

Sometimes it’s a close call. We call someone who paints portraits an artist, but we might not say the same about a person who paints houses. What about someone who paints furniture? What about the person who carved the furniture? They are all skilled at their craft, and they all contribute to the beauty of our surroundings. It’s funny how arbitrary we can be when separating our concepts. We should be careful though; people’s identities are at stake! —CKG