History of Art

History of Art

13 April 2012

Living with Art

Question 1

“Artists create places for some human purpose,” “create extraordinary versions of ordinary objects,” “record and commemorate,” “give tangible form to the unknown,” “give tangible form to feelings and ideas,” and “refresh our vision and help us see the world in new ways” (Getlein, pp. 8-9).

Comments like; beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and art is whatever the spectator thinks it is do not reflect the definition or true meaning of the words art/artist. An artist must possess certain traits which will allow them to discover, build, or create art that will be shared with others.

Maya Lin, who created the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, had many visions and ideas which would enable its visitors to relive and understand the paths of those fallen warriors. Every part of this Memorial has its own unique meaning. From the sliced wedged sloping hill which represents an entrance to an ancient burial mound, “the monument begins just as the war itself did, almost unnoticed, a few support troops sent to a small and distant country, a few deaths in the nightly news” (Getlein, p.7). From the beginning to the end of the Monument, Lin places the visitors in different stages of the war, and as visitors exit the path begins to surface as the walls begin to disappear giving the impression of leaving the war behind. This example provides evidence that art cannot be whatever the spectator wants it to be. Art is a mysterious world to many, and can be easily misunderstood.

Getlein, Mark. Living With Art. 9th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1985. Print.