What is Art???

I heard the funniest interview yesterday on As It Happens. Apparently an English artist, David Hensel, had submitted a sculpture entitled "One Day Closer to Paradise" to be considered in London's prestigious Royal Academy's summer exhibition. He was delighted to hear that his piece had been selected. Imagine his confusion when he proudly visited the exhibit, looked and looked for his piece, a laughing head, and found only the stand upon which it was supposed to rest!

He shipped the pieces separately assuming that, duh, even an idiot much less art "professionals" would be able to figure out a stand (aka plinth) needed something to sit upon it.

A spokeswoman said: "David Hensel's work, One Day Closer To Paradise, was submitted to the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2006 as two separate pieces.

"Given their separate submission, the two parts were judged independently. The judging panel had assumed the two pieces were separate art works and decided the plinth was better.

"The head was rejected. The base was thought to have merit and accepted. It is currently on display.

Mr. Hensel was very good natured about it.

"I like the plinth as an object. I just never thought of it as a sculpture in its own right".

"What pleases me, though, is that it gives a lot of people the chance to think about what art is.

Which of course leads to the eternal question...what is art? I am not an artist, and though I enjoy and appreciate art I have never actually been able to define it. There is what I call "rip-off art." You know, like a red circle painted on a black square, give me a break. (Apologies to my artist friends whom I know are rolling their eyes at my peasantry!) But again I say, what do I know? I only know what I like.


You decide. Is this art...?








or is this...?