What is art, really?
OpenAI recently released a new update, and it’s genuinely terrifying how proficient it has become. The update introduces a feature that allows users to transform photos into a Ghibli art style. As an artist who collaborates with other artists,I experienced a profound sense of inadequacy, wondering how I could ever hope to match such an incredible feat. Then, I had this huge question that had been bugging me: ‘What is art, really?’
You can find various definitions of art, but Wikipedia highlights two key points: ‘an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, technical proficiency, and/or beauty’ and ‘there’s no universally agreed definition of art.’ Beauty, however, is not the ultimate goal; it lies in the beauty of the artistic process itself. The essence of art lies in its ability to transform nothingness into something meaningful. Every painting, song, movie, and video game ever created has a story behind it.
James Hunter Black Draftee by Alice Neel
Alice Neel’s James Hunter Black Draftee painting is one perfect example of how the process tells more of the story than completing it. Alice Neel invited strangers to sit for portraits. In 1965, she invited James Hunter, recently drafted for Vietnam. The first sitting captured his melancholy. Neel finished his face and outlined his body. Hunter never attended the second session. Since his name isn’t listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, it’s possible that he didn’t die in Vietnam unless he used a pseudonym. His whereabouts remain a mystery. The painting stands out because we can complete it with our imagination or simply wonder what could have been.
What about the intention of creating bad art or believing you’re creating good art, which turns out to be bad? Heard of Ed Wood’s movie called ‘Plan 9 from Outer Space’, considered to be one of the worst films ever made. but it has heart. Sure, it is a low-budget movie with a weird production, but it’s a miracle how it got made. That’s art. Read the production story or watch the Tim Burton’s biopic movie to be amazed or weirded out about how Ed Wood made the movie .
My favourite Hayao Miyazaki film is “The Wind Rises.” It’s an animated historical drama about Jiro Horikoshi, a Japanese aeronautical engineer who played a key role in World War II. The film explores the theme of pursuing dreams and the challenges that come with it.
Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Wind Rises”
You can prompt an AI model to generate a photo of September 11 twin towers, in the style of Ghibli art. This concept is disturbing in many ways, but what’s the story behind it? How did the idea come to mind? What was the thought process? It lacks a compelling story or visual appeal. Creative expression is our human superpower. It’s how our ancestors used it to paint cave walls and build campfires to narrate stories that evoked both wonder and fear. The creative process of making something and then telling a story about that process is what adds value and connects us.
There are tech bros and non-artists who would say ‘Now, art is accessible. Here is the problem with that statement: ‘When was it never accessible?’ Art was accessible when YouTube started way back in 2006. It’s easy to get a small camera to make short videos or movies. Every store has a pencil, paper, canvas sheet, and paintbrushes for centuries. Art is assessable, but it’s not about being talented or gifted. It’s a skill that develops over time, and during that process, an artist builds character, not ego.