One of the great debates of our time is what art really is. There are those who believe that only works with a high degree of perfection or originality can be considered to be true art, while others argue that art is whatever makes you feel something. Whether that feeling is awe, love, anger, sorrow, or even fear. Art is supposed to be able to transcend the physical world and touch our innermost emotions.
It is a way of communicating ideas and values that are inherent in every culture across space and time. It can also serve as a form of entertainment and create awareness about issues such as climate change, poverty, or racism. Art can be found in every aspect of human life, from everyday food to beautiful paintings or music.
Art is a special kind of activity that stands above or outside ordinary things. It consists in the expression of feelings that are conceived in the mind and made visible by the senses, or by speech. Art is the incarnation of these thoughts, and it is the transmission of them to other minds that constitutes its importance.
A work of art is said to be “art” if it infects the spectator or listener with the same feelings that were felt by its author. It is the power of this infection that enables the work to be recognized as a work of art, even though it may not have any of the other characteristics that are usually associated with it. The feelings with which the artist infects others may be most varied – they may be strong or weak, important or insignificant, bad or good: the love of one’s country expressed by a poem, the self-devotion and submission to fate or to God expressed in a drama, the raptures of lovers described in a novel, the sensations of voluptuousness transmitted by a picture, the courage communicated by a poem, the merriment evoked by a play, the humor induced by a story, the feeling of quietness conveyed by an evening landscape or by a lullaby – it is all art, if it infects other minds with the same feelings that were experienced by its author.
The fact that everyone can relate to art makes it an extremely powerful tool for breaking down cultural, social, and economic barriers. People from all backgrounds can connect with art because it is based on their emotions and personal experiences. This is why three people can see the same piece of art and feel wildly different emotions from it. Art can make them cry, make them laugh, or even scare them. But it is because these emotions are so universal that we can begin to understand why some think art should be a part of our daily lives. Art breaks down the walls of ignorance and prejudice that prevent us from accepting other cultures and even our own. This is what makes it so crucial in our modern globalized society.