"But is it art?" -a short review

I finished up reading this book last week; it was a quick yet thought provoking read. I had read a couple things from Freeland in some of my art history classes and always enjoyed her. Freeland writes in a way that is very easy to understand but she brings up many points. In this book in particular, she focuses on different art theories.

Many of these theories come from well-known philosophers such as Kant, Plato, and Danto. Most of these philosophers have their own stance on aesthetics and what makes something beautiful. But what is it about certain art that uses blood, urine, and violent subject matter, to also be deemed beautiful? Two examples she used for this were Serrano's Piss Christ and Goya's Saturn. These works have been controversial for years, I encourage you to take a look without making any judgments before reading about the concepts.

Freeland also discusses how culture plays a part in what makes something beautiful and/or art. For instance, Andy Warhol's work would not make much sense to a culture unfamiliar with Campbell's soup.  She also brings up how gender plays a role in what makes a work art and how it is viewed. 

Freeland discusses the Guerrilla Girls, specifically this poster used to bring up how gender plays a role even in museums. The Guerrilla Girls are well-known for their feministic propaganda in the art world. A lot of it is quite humorous, but speaks of serious issues.

All in all, the book brought up many ideas I had not thought of, despite the many conversations in class about what art really is.  It seems people have many different views about what art is. All I ask is that if you are going to have a strong view, may it be an informed one. So, read this book!