Is this art? (day, painting, abstract, many)

[Theophane]

*This is not a bicycle*


(It's not a bike in the sense that you can't ride it.)

[Wilson513]

I think the doofuses above didn't realize it was a drawing and thought it was a photograph of a bike.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by DrummerBoy

Art?

No.

What this is, people, is one big fat sloppy helping of "WTF?"

It's a freakin' bicycle, y'all.

Sure, it's a bicycle. That's what the artist set out to create, and every line, color, and aspect of that rendering shows his heart, mind and hand. It instantly and fully conveys the humanity that created it.

It's damn good, too. All those careful choices all came together very well. It conveys a sense of real purpose- this bike looks like it's ready to do it's business, ready to go and take you anywhere. You could hang that on a wall, look at it, and imagine being on it any place you would want to see on this planet.

That's the human element, and the human element is what makes it art.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by Lamplight

Yes, in the OP I was strictly referring to my own drawing, and like I said, I'm not sure even I would call my own drawing "art", which is the main reason I started the thread. I was curious if others might, in fact, consider my drawings art, since I had never really thought of it that way and it had just occurred to me. And I suppose I even agree with you in that a finely made custom bicycle might be better described with the word "craftsmanship". I'm pretty certain a lot of builders probably think of their bicycles as "ridable art", and I can certainly understand why. But to say that bicycles cannot be art would imply that any utilitarian object that someone has lavished a great deal of care, attention to detail, and a desire for beauty also cannot be art. If that's the case then you must rule out things like architecture, fine furniture, etc. And that's fine if you don't see any of those things as art, but I'd dare say most people would not agree.

Don't be uncomfortable with the 'artist' title.

You may not realize it, but you already have a full understanding of the visual translation that goes from mind to hand. Art is the language of the eye straight to the brain, without the language of the tongue getting in the way.

A drawing like yours is part of a long and fine tradition of making the commonplace special. It is where craftsmanship and emotion meet in happy compromise and expression. That's my definition of art.

[Lamplight]

Mike, thanks for your kind words and encouragement. I don't think I mentioned it before, but I draw other things besides bicycles. But for many years 99% of my drawings have been similar to that of the bicycle, semi-technical in appearance. I suppose they might be similar to a concept drawing you'd see for a potential product, except in my case the products never materialize. However, I've been drawing all my life and I've probably tried to draw, at some point, just about anything you could imagine, with varying success. For the last week or so I've been trying to get better at drawing people, and I think I'm making a lot of progress. I guess you could say it's causing me to rediscover how much I used to enjoy doing this!

[banjomike]

Hi, Lamplight...
If you never become good drawing people, don't worry about it. (But that's not to say you should quit trying if that's a goal.)
I can't remember his name, but there is an airbrush artist who is famous for his cutaway paintings of mechanical objects. He has done cutaways of a Ferrari, various engines, ships, and a famous one of the Starship Enterprise. They are highly technical, beautifully and very realistically rendered, and seldom have any humans in them, but are wonderful sort of puzzle pictures that are real eye candy.

Every good artist finds his niche. Just keep going. I have made a livelihood in commercial and fine art for over 40 years now, and for some folks, art simply isn't optional... it is so much a part of the person that creating art is a mental necessity. For sure, even as a hobby, it is a much better activity than just watching TV or whatever... it engages the brain, coordinates the hand, and kicks up your endorphin levels.

[Wilson513]

LL, I think you might like the work of Tom Bacher, Cincinnati. I'm sure you can find him.

[Lamplight]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

LL, I think you might like the work of Tom Bacher, Cincinnati. I'm sure you can find him.

Assuming I found the right artist using Google, I'm definitely liking his work.

[joqua]

Every time this question comes up in a discussion of "art, craft, illustration, schlock, etc." I am reminded the question was settled a long time ago by a guy named Marcel DuChamp and his "Armory art show" entry titled "Fountain."

For those who don't know, the "Fountain" was an upside down men's room urinal!

Ever since, it is "ART" if the person making the presentation deems it to be such. There is even room to call "the idea" art - even though it only resides in the mind of the "artist."

[DrummerBoy]

I just wanted to add that, no matter what you call your drawing, i.e., "technical" or "art" it is very good and you are a talented illustrator.
As someone who has not a lick of drawing or painting talent I can say that I've always been envious of people like you who can draw so well. It always seemed to me to that to be able to create something like an awesome drawing or painting would be like having a special, inner haven you could escape to. I dunno, it's hard to put into words; my wife has it with her classical violin stuff. She calls this sort of passion for some sort of art "grace" but I'm not sure I understand that term used in that context.
Maybe only you artistic-types do?