The Useless Arts?

[Uilleand]

I'll let someone else answer that for me...

"In the face of the million human tragedies that are a constant feature of our information society, we need to constantly remind ourselves and the world that we humans, who can kill and maim and destroy in the name of self righteousness, are also the ones who make music. It is the arts that humanize us. Never let anyone tell you that the arts are a frill; that they should pay their own way; that there are more important things in life than the expression and appreciation of human creativity." - Fil Fraser

Fraser is the program director of Canada's first educational television station and founder of the Banff World Television Festival, director of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, and chief commissioner of the Alberta Human Rights Commission.

Full address on MP3: http://www.expressnews.ualberta.ca/media/9422_1.mp3

Also: "Nobody remembers the Italian Renaissance for its GDP. We can certainly calculate the 16th-century Italian GDP. But what is it we remember? I remember the brilliant cultural growth that was led by the Medicis and other leaders of the Italian Renaissance who were, in essence, simply engaged citizens with a vision for the future." - Indira Samarasekera, Steacie Memorial fellowship winning metallurgical engineer and President of the University of Alberta.

 

[matsugawa]

All art is useless, i think someone said...AND I IZ QUOTING DEM!

Yeah they are fairly useless subjects...for most.

Oscar Wilde said this at the beginning of The Picture of Dorian Gray (the last line of the preface, in fact). I agree with this, and I was a film major so I can say that with full confidence.

It should be noted, however, that the entertainment industry by its very nature marches to the beat of its own financial drum; it's had its own share of ups and downs (the WGA strike, the death of drive-in theaters, the 9-year production gap in the Godzilla franchise, the dot-com bubble burst, and so on and so forth), but as far as world economics go, it is practically recession-proof.

 

[Redtiebear]

I'm sure the credit will be lessened, what with my also being an art student, however, I was also tempted into heading to a liberal arts college for writing. I don't necessarily view art as purely a means to "make something pretty" and my goal in life certainly isn't to slave in a cubicle to make money. However, using just a little bit of reference to the book "Understanding Comics" by Scott McCloud, I'd like to build my point on a little excerpt from a chapter discussing the purpose of art:

(In reference to art, beside the two basic human functions for survival and reproduction) "First, they (being art) provide exercise for the minds and bodies not receiving outside stimulus. Second, they provide an outlet for emotional imbalances, aiding the race's mental survival. Third, and perhaps most importantly to our survival as a race, such random activies often lead to useful discoveries."

McCloud also then references this exercise, like in dance, would be later used in sports and games, the emotional outlet then used for self-expression, and then art finally as discovery and the "pursuit of truth as exploration." He states then, "Yet, in almost everything we do, there is at least an element of art...In some occupations, the latitude is greater. Survival - making a living - goes hand in hand with creative desire. I think it's fair to say that some activities have more in in them than others. Life is a series of minute decisions, some motivated by survival, some not, and proportions do vary. But, to proclaim, as so many often do, that - 'That's not art!' - presumes that art is an EITHER/OR PROPOSITION. I don't think it is. Rare is the person in any occupation who expresses nothing...and rare is the artist who cares nothing for success, i.e. survival! But the ideal of the latter is alive in the hearts of many artists who may hope for success, but won't alter their work to obtain it. The 'fine artist' - the PURE artist - says to the world: 'I didn't do this for money! I didn't do this to match the color of your couches! I didn't do this to get laid! I didn't do this for the fame or power or greed or anything else! I did this for art!' In other words, 'MY ART HAS NO PRACTICAL VALUE WHATSOEVER! But it is important!' And sometimes, it IS, though it might take a century or two for the rest of the world to find out!"

While I don't think I have much to say after what he's said, I just have to point out...Why are you on a videogame site? Don't videogames require artists to make scenery and landscapes, professionals to design characters, writers to create a script, musicians to make the soundtrack? Is the only notable and worthwhile job in creating a game now being the money-handling publisher, or the licensing attorney? Art is more than these sum parts or course, regarding that your perception of art is choosing a pleasing color of paint on your walls (for color is also psychology, as made apparent by Van Gogh).

I don't know. Art is expression. If you're a robot, then I guess you're okay. Just don't tell that to the guy who drew up the robot in the first place.

 

[Dark42]

Art has two categories
REAL ART: art that is fun to look at has no purpose other then to look pretty.
MODERN ART: totally useless pointless boring pieces of crap that can literally be pieces garbage, that it totally over priced and is only bought by rich people that have far too much money.

Spoiler: this

and

Spoiler: this?

respectively

Exactly

 

[Doug]

My Thoughts:
1) The jerks who have no talent but think they're going to be famous and rich are going to have fun flipping my burgers.

2) They also need to stop taking the resources from the people that actually deserve them, the people who actually have talent and love the music.

That's about it. My thoughts are fairly concise.

Not alot else to add - although I think media students (in the OP) is also a useless subject.

I did Engineering in University, and about 1/4 of the class where actually British (in an English Uni). Why? Because the bulk of the youth of today are either too lazy, too aimless, or too stupid to go to a subject that requires thought. Even English and English Lit are more likely to promote usefulness than media studies. However we do need some artists and actors, but nothing like as many as take the subjects. Hell, the Glasgow streets have alot more arts who never took Art courses in there lives - and they work mostly off their own backs.

 

[Doug]

Art has two categories
REAL ART: art that is fun to look at has no purpose other then to look pretty.
MODERN ART: totally useless pointless boring pieces of crap that can literally be pieces garbage, that it totally over priced and is only bought by rich people that have far too much money.

Spoiler: this

and

Spoiler: this?

respectively

Exactly

At least that example of Modern art has pattern, colour, and looks interesting... this doesn't:

Spoiler: Really crap Modern art

 

[Xanadu84]

How much stuff that we do is useless these days? To bring up a very pertinent point, Video games are, "Useless". There's plenty of things that we do these days that are purely for enjoyment. And that's not bad, we got things like irrigation and assembly lines, we can afford some fun time.

I actually like the way my College handled this. They had a class called, "Soundings". Basically, they required all freshmen, both semesters, to attend 6 special, "Soundings" events. They consisted of theater, concerts, lectures from guest speakers, even a few comedy events or more esoteric events. Go to 6 of them, get a little culture, learn to like broadening your horizons, you get a credit. Nice way to do it, I think. I ended up going to way more then 6 every year I was there.

Way I see it, there needs to be a few people in art and theater and so on and so forth. How else do you get art, movies, etc? A few of those Majors will become famous and contribute to stuff we enjoy. The rest should see the unlikelihood of success coming, and have a backup plan in a job that just looks for the degree of professionalism you get from just going to college.

 

[Sergeant M. Fudgey]

My Thoughts:
1) The jerks who have no talent but think they're going to be famous and rich are going to have fun flipping my burgers.

2) They also need to stop taking the resources from the people that actually deserve them, the people who actually have talent and love the music.

Now, now, everything will be fine when they're all working for us who have brains here. I know for a fact they won't be getting any promotions from me.

 

[megalomania]

Oscar Wilde is turning in his grave right now! His idea has been misrepresented several times now and its killing me! He indeed said 'All art is quite useless'. The line before it reads 'The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely'.

Put them together and he is advocating art quite strongly. Please stop using misguided half quotes to try and pass yourselves off as widely read and cultured, I hope it had occurred to you at least as ironic that a great writer would be slating art!

Anyhoo back onto topic. I love art, but there are a few too many qualifications for it floating around, which ends up in mcdonalds staff with £20000 debt. Not really good for anyone.

P.S I study chemistry and yes I read the book, just blurring the line between art and science.

 

[Dark42]

Art has two categories
REAL ART: art that is fun to look at has no purpose other then to look pretty.
MODERN ART: totally useless pointless boring pieces of crap that can literally be pieces garbage, that it totally over priced and is only bought by rich people that have far too much money.

Spoiler: this

and

Spoiler: this?

respectively

Exactly

At least that example of Modern art has pattern, colour, and looks interesting... this doesn't:

Spoiler: Really crap Modern art

If that counts as art then the walls in my house must be worth a fortune.

 

[Erana]

Art has two categories
REAL ART: art that is fun to look at has no purpose other then to look pretty.
MODERN ART: totally useless pointless boring pieces of crap that can literally be pieces garbage, that it totally over priced and is only bought by rich people that have far too much money.

your understanding of art is over a century out of date.

At least that example of Modern art has pattern, colour, and looks interesting... this doesn't:

Spoiler: Really crap Modern art

Wait-
Why the Hell do you think that art is all about looking pretty?
The above work that you liken to feces has already served its purpose-
proving that you'd consider a blank canvas art just because it is a canvas mounted in a museum.
I mean, seriously, you're a pawn of the artist.

You people keep complaining about something that you don't even make an effort to understand. You're being just as bad as the people who blame art for criminal acts.

 

[Theophenes]

Err, to grab a steering wheel back towards the topic, Arts degrees are odd. Frankly, my difficulty is figuring out exactly what those degrees qualify people to do. I'm not saying they don't signify hard work, I have many friends in the "Arts" colleges, and honestly, they've got it rougher than me sometimes. (I'm an Education major, so there).

What bothers me is the whole concept. I mean, i think you'd learn a good deal more about art spending a semester hanging around a city and looking at the local art than you coudl in a classroom. Aside from constructive criticism, I can't see much value in a degree in a "studio art" such as painting or drawing.

As far as money goes, art is bought and sold all the time. Honestly, Yahtzee, J.K. Rowling, a local journalist, and that guy who makes promos for the board of tourism all have careers and spent a large amount of time in school learning how to write and format. They're all commercially viable writers.

 

[Zildjin81]

Is it more useless than religion class? Yes, my university makes us take a religion class, how exactly is that gonna help me in my work? Its like algebra, im never gonna use this in real life!

If you're at the grocery store and three bags of chips cost 1$ dollar then how much money does one bag cost?

I have heard that one countless times.

 

[LilGherkin]

Two of the most commonly chosen subjects in Universities and college's in the past couple of years were performing arts and art. Am I the only one who feels that these are rather redundant subjects? To me it seems that people are only doing these courses in order to do the least work possible and find some form of fame afterwards.

I know it's a bit cynical to say this; I studied media at Uni and I'm now working as a musician and a writer, but there's just so many people choosing those subjects and all I can see when I see them is a wasted education and a future in a customer service call center.

Thoughts?

That's why I intend to go into the life sciences path, because I actually know something about that.

 

[Eldritch Warlord]

Spoiler: the stuff Erana said

Art has two categories
REAL ART: art that is fun to look at has no purpose other then to look pretty.
MODERN ART: totally useless pointless boring pieces of crap that can literally be pieces garbage, that it totally over priced and is only bought by rich people that have far too much money.

your understanding of art is over a century out of date.

At least that example of Modern art has pattern, colour, and looks interesting... this doesn't:

Spoiler: Really crap Modern art

Wait-
Why the Hell do you think that art is all about looking pretty?
The above work that you liken to feces has already served its purpose-
proving that you'd consider a blank canvas art just because it is a canvas mounted in a museum.
I mean, seriously, you're a pawn of the artist.

You people keep complaining about something that you don't even make an effort to understand. You're being just as bad as the people who blame art for criminal acts.

Art that does not aspire to be fun and/or nice to look at is probably crappy or propaganda.

It's fine to have a message, but first and foremost should be something that makes me want to hear it.

 

[SilverKyo]

I find it funny that almost every person here seems to look at how useless art is, but limits their view to a painting on a canvas. Art is in the shows and movies you watch, the games you play, the design of your technology, the advertisements you see. Take a look around, every logo had someone design it, every book cover, every car, Art is everywhere. Without Art, society would look like a George Orwell nightmare come true. Do you guys even remember what web site your on? This is a Gaming news website, games whose graphics we're designed by someone with an Arts degree. Don't sit there and try to write on a Forum of this website that an Art's degree is entirely useless, because it's so hypocritical it's laughable. You think this website or the new "Genre Wars" was designed by someone with a science degree? Maybe if you live in the middle the Sahara in a third world country, then yea, Art is a lot less useful then say surviving and eating, but we live in a society where people can't go three minutes without some sort of mental stimultaion or degeneration, depending on if you like to read a book/play a good game with friends over listening about the latest Hollywood fad over watching America's Next Top Model, a show watched by self hating masochists who want to watch an idiot who got a 150 on the SAT make more money in a month then they'll earn in a year.

 

[Bat Vader]

It helps us raise culture. It shows us that people who are actually interested in the arts are now shallow people. I cannot stand it when I try to talk to someone on an intellectual level most the time they talk about stuff that is pointless and I almost feel my IQ dropped a couple of points.

Examples: Britney Spears is pregnant, N Sync broke up, Justin whoever goes solo. The point is most of our country is so fixated on superficial nonsense that we as a culture have dropped. It is no wonder why other countries do not like us.

We put movie stars above important matters, like the war or the presidency. I don't care about this falls fashion line or Britney Spears being pregnant. In 1,000 years what will be more acknowledged Britney being a pop star or Pablo Picasso's works?

 

[Bowl Full]

I'll let someone else answer that for me...

"In the face of the million human tragedies that are a constant feature of our information society, we need to constantly remind ourselves and the world that we humans, who can kill and maim and destroy in the name of self righteousness, are also the ones who make music. It is the arts that humanize us. Never let anyone tell you that the arts are a frill; that they should pay their own way; that there are more important things in life than the expression and appreciation of human creativity." - Fil Fraser

Fraser is the program director of Canada's first educational television station and founder of the Banff World Television Festival, director of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, and chief commissioner of the Alberta Human Rights Commission.

Full address on MP3: http://www.expressnews.ualberta.ca/media/9422_1.mp3

Also: "Nobody remembers the Italian Renaissance for its GDP. We can certainly calculate the 16th-century Italian GDP. But what is it we remember? I remember the brilliant cultural growth that was led by the Medicis and other leaders of the Italian Renaissance who were, in essence, simply engaged citizens with a vision for the future." - Indira Samarasekera, Steacie Memorial fellowship winning metallurgical engineer and President of the University of Alberta.

That is brilliant. Thank you.
This thread is utterly stupid in the fact that it insults cultural background, expression, creativity, and all the artists out there. I don't know why you're all bitching about it. Your rationalizations seem to be scraped out of a sewer. Art is not useless. Really. Pixar, Disney, etc. Games have to have artists to design or concept their characters, guns, maps. Sure, it can be a dead-end job if you don't know where you're going, but most people now-a-days are smart enough to have backup like a nursing degree, for example.

Do not discourage people who want to excel in what they love just because you think it's useless. Your opinion on this matter is "fairly useless" so I hope any artists who read your post wont take it to heart. I realize your opinion wont change because of other people's posts who agree with me on this point, but I hope you have some humility, you shameful person. Pfft, and you're getting a music degree. Shame.