TimeOut

Last Christmas I asked Santa for a digital point-n-shoot camera.  I owned a traditional (read: uses film) SLR, but gifted the camera to my sister ages ago.  Originally, my main motivation for getting a camera was to take photos of my watches, but I have since rediscovered the art of SEEING -- not just looking, but seeing and noticing the interesting shapes, and beauty in the everyday.  Often, as I go about my activities I'll take my little camera along just on the off chance I encounter something interesting.  I particularly like the idea of found art.

Can a simple iron fence surrounding a suburban home be art?

Can a light fixture illuminating the otherwise claustrophobic darkness of a nightclub be art?

Can water mimicking fire be art?

Can skin be art?

The truth is: I don't know. 

One of the definitions of the word art in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is: the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects; also: works so produced.  I think what constitutes art is a complex, highly subjective matter that varies widely from person to person based on so many factors including cultural background and generational influences.  One person's art is another person's paint splotch.  A Robert Mapplethorpe nude is art to some, and obscene to others.  It's all in the eye of the beholder.

Have you seen anything recently in your everyday travels that caught your eye?  While you ride the subway to work in the morning do you notice the craggy face of a fellow passenger -- life experiences etched in every line of his face?  When you're in your car crawling through another brutal crosstown commute do you notice how the sun glints off the glass of your urban landscape, spraying prismatic rays of light like so many diamonds in the sky?  When you're out with the dog for that post-supper walk, do you notice how the late summer sun creates fanciful patterns in the shadows thrown by your neighbor's oak tree? 

I do believe art IS all around us.  Everyday.  Everywhere.  It's just a matter of taking a moment to yourself to aesthetically experience the world around you.  I'm not always successful at this tactic myself, but I find that on days when I am, the world seems a richer, fuller, more intriguing and beautiful place.

Cheers,

Daos This message has been edited by DRMW on 2009-07-24 09:57:08 This message has been edited by DRMW on 2009-07-26 16:38:09

. . . and I agree that some of us are more sensitive than others. For the most part, artistry in three dimensions does little for my senses, but in sound, the effect can be overwhelming. The title of your thread, btw, is reminiscent of a song from my generation; when I brought up the inevitable Youtube video, it seemed to resonate with the theme of your post:

www.google.com

Cordially, Art

...if anyone would get the Troggs reference!  I should've known I could count on you, Art!  Have you ever seen the movie LOVE ACTUALLY?  There's a humorous scene in which one of the characters sings a cover of the song, but he's changed the one word "love" to "Christmas" so the track is called "Christmas Is All Around."  Bill Nighy is hysterical as the aging rockstar who sings the song.  Try Youtubing it.

Thanks for the nice note!

Cheers,
Daos 

With the digital cameras now you can just shoot away and come up with some cool pics.  With all the photos we take on this forum, we should have a picture contest........ 

-MW

What picture would I choose out of my current collection?!  *sound of mental wheels turning*

  Daos

Great pictures and a very interesting topic. I am a real sucker for good black and white pictures and are  sometimes better than a color photo. I loved your first image of the iron fence.
J.

Sometimes an ordinary color picture becomes extraordinary in black & white.  I'm not saying that's the case with mine, of course, but I personally think the photo was a lot better once I drained the color from it.  Thanks for your kind comments!

Cheers,
Daos

I believe art is all around us too.  It is sad nowadays that we often get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that we don't take time out to notice it.

I believe that it becomes art when one perceives it to be more than just a iron fence or beam of light, when you put something of yourself into it.

Thank you for the reminder, I think because of your post, I will notice the "art" in my surroundings more from now on.

Hi Ping!

Thanks for the nice note!  I took years and years of formal study in art history, and I believe your comment above is one of the best explanations of how something transcends its mere existence and becomes art.  Great stuff! 

Hope you are well!

Cheers,
Daos

sometimes even in a bottle of Genepi after a good lunch !

Exactly!  Beauty in a bottle of that most-famous Alpine digestif!  This is what I'm talking about!

HAGWE, my friend!

Cheers,
Daos

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those pics are extremely artistic, some more than others, but all truly art. there is as much skill in taking a good photograph as there is in painting a picture or sculpting a shape. the major difference is that some of the best photographs are taken by accident. my 13 year old has a very basic point and shoot and when he got it on xmas day we went to the lake which was frozen. he snapped off loads of pics most of which were rubbish, but 1 was of a tree branch laying on the ice. i changed it to B & W and it was so good that a friend of ours printed and framed it for her wall. its in my wifes laptop so sadly i cant show you. it was a sheer fluke, but turned out brilliant. my wife did a digi photography module this year as part of her degree and one task she chose was 'reflections'. its amazing what you can use as a reflective material and that is all part of the 'art'. to find different mediums to work with to take pictures.

some of those are excellent pics Daos so keep it up. i wish i had the knack.

Graham

I appreciate your kind sentiments.  So far, all my good shots have been accidents.  I find that the more pictures I take, the higher the likelihood I'll get something shareable.

Cheers,
Daos