Content Verses Technique

I don't want to get too much into politics, although sometimes it's hard to separate

politics from art, especially when it comes to rap music.

I would rephrase "suffering against the system" and make it "railing against the system." In

many cases, I would make it "suffering because of the system."

In my reading about and in my own experience of art and art history, suffering is often an

important motivating factor.

I'd have to know which sexy actresses you're talking about to understand you. We might

agree on a few.

" . . . but what we should never compromise on is what the definition of music or art is."

After all this discussion, an interesting conclusion, yet the only affirmative move toward a

definition of art you've given is way above and it's that it has no boundaries. Yet, I've

understood you to bind art several times using your own tastes or politics as a guide.

Then again, perhaps I've misread you.

I know I would not be able to come up with a satisfactory definition for you. I don't believe

there is one. The way I go about understanding art and determining what to include and

exclude is to read about it, go to galleries, studios, and museums and look at it, talk to

those who claim to make it, try to make it myself. For me, it's more a world than a

definition, more a study than a few paragraphs.

Defining art and music, may be forever impossible- first of all, they are the same thing,

just differing media. Secondly, the synthesis of a global ideal, or definition of art is

downright impossible. We are dealing with societal beliefs and ideas from all over the

world, so why should there be just ONE definition? Many words have several meanings, art

is no different. Just as there are many definitions to Art, there are many types of artists.

Some artists paint watercolors to pass the time, some make political statements with

video, others make steel sculptures for corporate purchase and still others take

photographs for galleries. The fact is, we try to clump all these people into one category,

when in reality we don't do that with any type of group. Examples: 1) a person is a

banker- easy enough, but to them they actually are a requistions investor, or a hedge fund

analyst, or a day trader or a bank teller. 2) I am a photographer- or a fashion

photographer, a photo journalist, a still-life shooter, a portraitist, a dog photographer, a

kid photographer, interiors photographer, advertising photographer. 3) I am a farmer- or

a cattle farmer, a beef cattle farmer, a corn farmer, a wheat farmer etc.... Does this make

sense? Very few careers in life have one simple definition, so why should art? Most

importantly, as with many things in life, artists who are working to be in residencies,

galleries and museums- those who dedicate most of their time to working on their art are

attempting to make it better and better and better. That is to say, they are trying to hone

their skills at getting a message across. Through this methodology, the artists are not only

creating art, but continually re-defining art. They are working to impress upon critics,

gallerists, jurors, curators and the world in general, THEIR point of view. Sometimes is

sounds or feels or looks great, other times, not so much. This, however, is the system- or

lack of system that has been created over the past several centuries. No need to be

frustrated with the art world though- its origins lay within sociology, science, politics, war

and psychology- among others. As I said before, we are in a post-modern world. That fact

alone opens the door to so much, so many ideas, so much information - that you couldn't

possibly want to restrict something as relevant as art to a single definition. Look, I

understand what you are saying, I as an artist struggle with the same question continually.

I think what you have to do is ask yourself every time, why is this art? What makes this

relevant? What is this person trying to say? Ultimately, that may just be what art is all

about- making people ask questions and think about what is before them.