“The Endless Debate over what is Creative Art and what is Not”
Written by and Photography by Rick Trottier – RJT Images
It’s hard to believe, but I remember my art classes from my childhood very well, long ago though that was. I remember that they had a structure very similar to the daily structure of school. Just as in school, there were classes where I was required to master certain skills and acquire specialized knowledge, but then there were “free periods” where I could engage in whatever sensible activity I liked. Art classes followed a very similar pattern. There were forms and structures to drawing, painting, sculpting and other media that were taught and then after those lessons we could work on things of our own choice, applying what we had learned. As a child, I understood that what was being taught was important, but what was within my freedom to explore was often times more enticing. However, what became fascinating was that “free periods” weren’t always better than structured learning time. Some classes and lessons in both general education and the arts were deeply absorbing, but most commonly, my “free time” was something that I really enjoyed for what it was, a chance to experiment and “let it all hang out”. But even by the time I was in high school and certainly over all the years since, I have come to understand that each has its benefits and both have an essential place in how we interface with the adult world, especially as artists.
I think of those long ago lessons in art and all the learning in the artistic disciplines I have done since those times and many ways of contemplating “Art” have evolved within me. It seems very apropos in a world that celebrates “free expression” more than ever as it pertains to what we call “Art” that we have lively discussions about the boundaries of what constitutes art. And that debate over what is “Art” and what is “not Art” has been raging for hundreds of years, potentially thousands of years. As each new “school of thinking” redefines trends in expression and tastes, towering arguments shake the Art World to its core as to what is truly an inspired new direction in artistry and what is simply tacky garbage. But what has NOT changed over most of the last two hundred years is the reality of what artists always do when creating their works.
You can see more of this article in our Nov/Dec issue of ModelsMania
