Francis:-
Today I am rushing around like Elton John being chased in the bushes by a hungry lion.
Tomorrow then?Explain the mystery if you will.
Art, like breathing, deosn't need to be taught. But unlike breathing it is not automatical. You have to be taught, same as you do with walking. We're born with legs we must learn to use, and we are born with artistic skills that must be developed or they will never manifest.
I heard once that all people are born with a perfect ear for music. What destroys this is the learning of speech.
A quick comparison between first year and final year art work in a university or art school
should answer the question, "Can art be
taught".
Shepaints. If theres a practical or a senior show and the art student finds out the answer to your question, he or she will demand their money back.
I agree, Shepaints, that art can be learned. I'm not sure how much of it can be taught.
Coluber said "The craft can be taught, but the art cannot?" I agree.
Whoever said Beethoven was bombastic should wash his/her mouth.
But the teaching of the craft may kill the art. Art to me had always been about the expression of my inner voice, not about perfection. Perfection is the starting point. Then it is transferred via me to a canvas or an audio tape or whatever the medium is. The piece itself is not important. It is merely another piece of decoration, but if it can cause a ressonance in the viewer, then it's value exceeds it's worth in fabric and substance and becomes something more.
So I maintain my stand that art doesn't need to be taught. You simply need to open up to it and listen to your inner voice.
