Let's talk about Art

ART

Questions to discuss

1. What is art? What is the purpose of art?

2. We often consider art in terms of painting. What other things come under the term "art"? What could, under no circumstances, be art?

3. Do you appreciate a piece of modern art more if you have had it "explained" to you? Should art need to be "explained"?

4. Must art send some form of message to the viewer? Should the message always be "beautiful"?

5. Do you own any interesting pieces of art or would you like to? What sort of art would you buy/collect?

6. Are you in any way artistic? Has anything you painted/sculpted/designed, etc. ever been on public display?

7. Have you visited any art galleries or museums recently? Are you going to visit any?

8. If an artist is notorious in some way, how does that affect your appreciation of his/her work? Can you separate an artist from his/her work?

The Persistence of Memory Salvador Dali Painted in 1931 by yet another Spanish artist, Salvador Dali's The Persistance of Memory is one of the most recognizable and individual pieces in art history. Depicting a dismal shoreline draped with melting clocks, it is thought that Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity inspired this bizarre piece.

Erased de Kooning – Robert Rauschenberg Erased de Kooning was not actually a drawing by Rauschenberg. Instead, the drawing and its name came to be when Rauschenberg obtained a sketch from American artist Willem de Kooning, erased part of it. Though the drawing had been much talked about before its exhibition in 1963, Rauschenberg had been experimenting with erasing his work for a long time before he happed on the idea of erasing someone else’s, conveying a question about whose art it really was and why.

Guernica Pablo Picasso Inspired by the bombing of Guernica, Spain, during the Spanish Civil War, completed this most famous piece, Guernica, in 1937. This piece was originally commissioned by the Spanish government and intended to depict the suffering of war and ultimately stand as symbol for peace.

The Scream Edvard Munch Using oil and pastel on cardboard, Edvard Munch painted his most famous piece, The Scream, circa 1893. Featuring a ghoulish figure that looks like the host from Tales from the Crypt, the backdrop of this expressionist painting is said to be Oslo, Norway.

My Bed (1998), Tracey Emin Tracey Emin's Turner-nominated instillation "My Bed" -- complete with an ashtray full of cigarettes, dirty knickers and used condoms -- sold for more than $4 million at auction, but some still consider her success illegitimate because of the controversy that has surrounded her work.

No. 5, 1948 Jackson Pollock Another of the more current pieces, painted by Jackson Pollock in 1948, the impersonally titled No. 5, 1948, though chaotic, is a signature piece of art. It was sold for the price of $140 million

American Gothic American Gothic, painted by Grant Wood in 1930 is a dry depiction of a farmer and his Plain-Jane daughter - The Great Depression personified. The two characters in the paintings are actually Grant’s sister and his dentist. Today, this painting is on display at Art Institute of Chicago.

Tilted Arc (1981), Richard Serra "Tilted Arc," a metal wall installed by Richard Serra in a Manhattan plaza in 1981, was eventually taken down because the public thought it was nothing more than a disruptive nuisance. In 2003, Martin Creed's Work No. 227 -- a room in which a light turned on and off every five seconds -- also received harsh public criticism when it won the Turner Prize in 2001.

Fountain (1917), Marcel Duchamp Duchamp’s Fountain created quite a stir when it appeared in 1917 at an exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists. Starting out as a urinal, Duchamp laid the object on its back, signed it “R. Mutt” and referred to it simply as Fountain. It sparked modern discussions about what constitutes real art and, by consequence, a real artist.

• What piece of art is the most interesting/boring for you? Why?
• Which one is priceless and which one is worthless to your mind?
• Which one would you buy?