Henry Ward Beecher once said that “Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.” He argues that these painted pictures that artists create are not just something that was created for the enjoyment of others, rather a means of expressing a personal part of oneself. according to the Oxford Dictionary, art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, while entertainment is the action of providing or being provided with amusement or enjoyment. Indeed, entertainment is typically a major aspect of art. Having said that, it should not be assumed as the sole purpose of art.
Art fulfilling the purpose of entertainment does not make it entertainment.
There are many ways in which something can fulfill the purpose of entertainment, and being visually appealing is only one of the aspects which contributes to the entertainment value of that thing. Therefore, despite artists tendency not to focus on appealing to visual intrigue, instead hoping to cater to intellectual pursuit, the deeply curious nature of humans causes the artwork to be amusing, no matter how plain or tasteless it may seem to be. While it may entertain our thoughts and inborn inquisitiveness towards the unknown, that is not the purpose of artworks. Rather, our natural response to want to find out more about an artwork gives the artist a chance to share with us, fulfilling the true purpose of the artwork.
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Conceptual art is an art movement which resides in thoughts and ideas behind works, whereas the aesthetics and material concerns have a secondary role. This gives us the room to reflect and have our own take on the artwork, allowing us to make it personal, instead of just taking in whatever the artist has to say. The simplicity of this art movement draws us in since it goes against what we already know about art. One example of conceptual art is an artwork called ‘Artist’s Shit’, by Piero Manzoni. Manzoni’s idea worked on several layers, from a political statement, to his belief that art should contain personal elements of a person, which in this very literal case, was his own excretion. Why then does this still entertain us? We wonder if the contents of the can was truly what he said it was, at the same time not willing to destroy such a valuable piece of art by opening the can to see its contents for ourselves. Through this, Manzoni’s point, that the concept behind an artwork held a higher importance than the aesthetics of it was proven to us.
Artworks have purposes that are far more complex than what meets the eye, using amusement or enjoyment as a mere tool to fulfill that purpose. Art is an expression of our thoughts, emotions, intuitions, and desires, but it is even more personal than that: it’s about sharing the way we experience the world. It is the communication of intimate concepts that cannot be faithfully portrayed by words alone. How do artists get laymen to grasp these concepts and emotions that are so personal? Most importantly, they need to help audiences appreciate their artworks. Entertainment aids in making an artwork more engaging, so that the artwork can truly be appreciated by all. This can be seen through Patrick Brown’s photographs. Brown is an Australian photographer, with Thailand as his base, devoting himself to documenting critical issues across the Asia region often ignored by the mainstream media. In his photographs, he uses different aspects of photography, such as composition methods, and varying shutter speeds and exposure, to draw audiences attention to it.
However, the purpose of the photographs go so much deeper, to addressing issues mainly on animal extinction due to wildlife trading. Through his photographs, he hopes to create dialogue which would then lead to change. He finds the conversations and thoughts that take place after the image is seen more crucial than the actual photograph. The goal of his photographs is not just to please people with the techniques he uses or the types of images he comes up with, but to develop conversations where people become more aware of the issues he is so passionate about. Similarly, most other artists create artworks with a purpose, no matter how profound or personal, and hope to prompt audiences to understand their art better through what they can see from the artwork itself.
With that being said, art can be seen as merely for entertainment, if people choose to see it that way. There are many ways to appreciate something. Some may feel that simply using these artworks for their aesthetic quality is appreciation, while others may feel that it is a waste to let such well thought out and impactful artworks to just be taken at face value. Having an intended purpose for something does not ensure that it would be fulfilled for everyone that comes across it. In the same way, no matter how beautiful or impactful the concept behind an artwork is, it cannot force an audience to satisfy its intended purpose. In “The Grand Budapest Hotel” by Wes Anderson, an American filmmaker, tells a story through a memory of events and recollection of interactions along with the misinformation that came with it. The movie itself represents the gaps in reality caused by inaccurate recollection of events, in turn showing the effects it has on the audience’s perception of these stories. Despite its eye opening concept, people still tended to enjoy mainly the superficial aspects of the movie, such as his extensive use of flat space camera moves, obsessively symmetrical compositions, and many other stylistic choices.
These stylistic choices, instead of the concept behind his works, are the aspects of his films that he is given credit for. While this recognition may not necessarily be a bad thing, there will always be a part of the artist which hopes for their audiences to see their works as something more than just entertainment. Whatever audiences gain from arts, does not define the purpose of it. Artists may do things with a certain purpose or intention but it may not always translate to what others receive from it. Entertainment is an event, performance, or activity specifically designed to entertain others, whereas something that is entertaining can simply just be eye-catching and interesting. Simply put, this means that just because art fulfils this aspect of entertainment, does not make art entertainment.
All in all, art is not just about having paintings for purposes of beautification but having a justified reason for something to happen. As contemporary artist Makoto Fujimura explained, entertainment gives us predictable pleasure and satisfies cravings. Art on the other hand, is ageless and leads to transformation, whether it is in the way we view certain things, or the mindsets we have.
