"End of Year" Reflection

---THE FOUNTAIN...art?

What is art and who decides? It is a question that this course has revolved around, and it is a question that I feel my answer really hasn’t changed. In the beginning of this course, I saw art as whatever the artist wanted it to be, or, in turn, whatever the observer interpreted to be. But, as Mr. Yost just mentioned, this course has given me the knowledge to back me up. When we first started watching the films, Jason Pollock was a fine example of art being for the artist; he was unaffected by the criticism he received, and because of that confidence his work became somewhat accepted later in his years. Even in Spongebob, we learned art ‘rules’ often make us too focused on trying to fit a stereotype that in the end, only frustrates and inhibits our natural abilities. Then, we began reading about post-modernism (where readymades were considered art by the artist) and modernism (where machinery and mainstream culture were considered over-exposed by the artist)—where perception made art what it is. And with these final readings, we see art being broken down through multiple lenses: Does the broken triangle symbolism the repression of women? Does the color red invoke community opinion? Does the wood of Christ have a deeper level? It’s all about perception.