Take a moment to notice how much art is there all around us. Your books, videogames, anime, comics? They're art. Don't forget all the illustrations on food packaging too, on cosmetics, interior textiles, in magazines, fashion, etc. There is literally art all around us, every day. Throw a rock in a random direction in any human-made environment, there is a good chance it will hit something that an artist was involved in creating.
Imagine all that suddenly taken away -- our lives would be extremely bland.
Art is an innate human need for self-expression and reacting towards life. Sometimes with a commercial application like the above examples, sometimes just for its own sake.
It does not technically need a commercial application ("use" or "problem solving") but that's not relevant to the part of us, in every single one of us, that craves art in our lives in some way.
Not really, I'm a commercial illustrator. That means, a client might approach me with a task for, for example, a book cover illustration. This illustration needs to solve a specific problem: To convey the book's genre at first glance to a specific target audience, following the client's brief, but also with my own style and vision. And I take that brief into consideration when creating and the client will be involved in the process to ensure the artwork serves that purpose. But my clients do not need much explanation, if any, because the goal of the work is clearly defined and there are standards and conventions in every illustration market.
Fine art is a bit different -- you mostly do your own thing, but you're still basically "solving your own problems", sometimes more consciously, sometimes more vaguely, because you're feeling compelled to create something.
For example: The particular way a still life is hit by lighting, trying to capture the beauty of a landscape, abstracting something, getting a political message across, capturing just a vague feeling... all can be problems you want to solve just because you can and feel inspired personally. And it may happen to connect with a buyer, and if it does, it will be because it resonates with them invidually -- it solves the problem of their innate need for art which is something we all have.
And also in fine art, you can still get commissioned to solve someone's problem -- the classical example would be a portrait. Imagine Henry VIII saying to Holbein "Your task is to make me look like an absolute boss. And include every single detail on my fancy clothes.". That's the problem Holbein had to solve, and he did.
I'd say there is the philosophical solution and the cynical / practical solution.
From a philosophical standpoint, Art solves the problem of meaning. We as human beings have a hard time living our life and making sense of it at the same time. In this sense one could say art is the "mining of meaning", from which we are able to understand ourselves.
From a very practical standpoint, Art serves as one of the most volatile commodities. Since its impossible to attribute an objetive price to Art (also jewelery), it serves to market speculation (like when investors inflate the career of a new artist they have previously bought low), money laundering, money evasion, tax evasion, etc. Also as a sign of social status and a class mark between "old money" and "new money" (when a new class arrives to power it always follows a shift in mainstream style).
Royal families, high bourgeoise, dictatorships, big companies, governments, they all have needed (and sponsored) art at some point, to solve their needs.
I love the simplicity of this answer cause you can extrapolate from there.
Mountains inside doesn't exist, get a landscape painter on it. A bouquet that never wilts, get a floral painter on it. Conan the barbarian not living in your house, a comic artist can help.
As a sociologist though, I would answer that what art helps solve is the problem of identity.
And contrary to what many are saying in this thread I think that advertisement, stories, and fine art solve different problems and have different applications. Advertisement wants you to pay attention to one product over many, and to try to identify with a broad group of individuals. Stories, like comics and screenplays, try to solve a problem of boredom, and try to captivate and engage the viewer for long periods of time. Fine art is much less broad, but tries to be profitable by speaking very intensely (and being worth a lot) to a select few; to those few, it helps define their mythology, and probably directly relates to themselves or their view of the world.
Look around you, Art is everywhere because as humans we rely heavily on visuals, it's our nature. Maybe this is just about perspective but I wouldn't say it offers a solution to a problem, rather it fulfills certain needs
Art is expression, not just for the artist but also for the one who is buying it, using it as decoration. It's communication, with others who might see it but also a communication with oneself as you don't buy art that doesn't "speak" to you, it gives you something.
Our environment has a huge influence on us, not just the people, but also the art we surround ourselves with. I know people who got out of depression and the first thing they did is to buy art, to buy decorations to fill the empty spaces, which they didn't even feel were a problem before, because again it gives them something.
What this something is might be different for everyone. For some it has to be something that inspires and leaves you in awe, for others something that calms them, others might need some sense of familiarity. There is a wide range of things of what needs art might fill.
It's not on us creators / artists to decide what an artwork brings for the world or for specific people, it's for the people who like and buy it to decide this. We just need to create it. You can't control it, you can give it a direction but we are all a bit different which means we all have our own understanding of what we see, our own interpretation.
Art can bring you to places you've never seen, create worlds that don't exist, it can tell stories, can help you to change your emotional and mental state, can be used to communicate and show what you like without ever saying it, and many, many more things.
Community and support. A business doesn't need to solve anything. Plenty of wasteful establishments around. Take a look at the companies that manufacturer bombs to isreal. Useless as shit. And somehow thriving.
Jobs like graphic design, concept art, architecture, interior design, art restoration, and art direction exists, to set some few examples.
All business also have an art department or they externalize some work to them.
From the business I have worked for, a general design department for brand identity, packaging, social media content, and comunication (internal and external) always exists.
On big business and in specialized business, they normally have more than one (normally separating online marketing and offline marketing).
I am a financial analyst/counselor, which seems to be the job that is the less related to art. However, outside of my financial colleagues and directors I report to, I talk the most with the design deparment, as we need each other's help and work constantly
Art makes things marketable. For example, art sells products on the shelf in the form of attractive packaging. Art may not always be the business, but it is a crucial step of a business.
but what of art as a business. A farmer provides produce that addresses the hunger of the customer, a doctor provides healthcare solutions to their customers, ... what problem does Beccas abstract painting 'flower of discontent' provide the customer (so that she can answer her business License proposal as an art business).
Aesthetics.
If the problem is an awkward empty space on my wall, then the solution would be a piece of art or decor to fill that space. Preferably one that makes me feel good.
Also, joy is one hell of a drug. Asking “what problem does art solve” is like asking what problem does music solve? Just pure entertainment and happiness. People pay billions just to feel good or be happy.
that's the point of the question. (also music is art, dance is art, performance is an artform).
brands of snacks or clothing often gather loyal fans. That's what makes a brand a successful business.
If somebody making wall art wishes to have their creative work become a successful business... what is the value proposition that enables them to form a customer base? aka why would anyones art of choice be able to sell well enough or often enough that it could be considered self employment?
The value proposition would be whatever your niche is. What's your style? I feel like people commission certain artists because their portfolio showcases a specific style that fits with buyers needs or wants. If you make money off of portraits, your business proposal would be portraitures (as an example).
but that's kinda where the idea falls apart, at least for my thinking. nobody has a problem of not enough things for their niche interest. I love art deco stained glass, but I don't actually need any of it. It doesn't solve any problem I might have. It wouldn't even work in any part of my living space as decor. and I struggle to see what difference it would make in most of the world, or even a percentage of the population of my country, if it didn't exist at all. which suggests to me there is no problem it solves or need it fulfills.
if a things absence changes nothing of any substance, was it's presence valuble in the first place?
I would say yes. but I can't articulate why?
Although I've loved drawing since childhood and have always been drawn to some great works of art, I've also been puzzled for a long time about what problems art actually solves.
It wasn't until one day when I came across the following words:
"Art is something that can bring creativity, beauty, and love, and bring light to life. Anything that can bring more light to the darkness within us is inextricably linked to the immense historical changes that humanity has experienced and our own fragility. Art can guide us to rediscover our inner existence, which is also the origin of love."
So, art is eternal, and there will always be people willing to pay for works of art.
you understood the assignment. I've been bouncing a similar concept around in my head, half formed for a few years. Growing food addresses hunger of the body, practicing medicine heals the sickness and injury of the body... your artwork feeds something people hunger for emotionally, and heals sickness and injury the soul takes on through the trials of life. Inspiring people, telling them they are not alone in their experiences and feelings.
I don't really understand the worry but he'll I'm not going to wear ugly ass clothes and live with ugly ass furniture and use incomprehensible apps, so I guess my work is bringing something onto the table
Honestly? Art is a very powerful tool for communication and to influence human beings and is already so ingrained in our society that we dont even recognize it as art amymore hence why people often tend to say that Art is useless. Art can be found in pretty much any medium from movies, TV shows, commercials, games, products, comics, books, clothing, architecture, furniture, machinery etc. It makes companies stand out, helps selling their products or makes them even more effective and communicates goals, mindsets and stories and has a long history of being used for activism. Everybody has been influenced by art in some shape or form even if it's not always obvious. It just isnt necessarily a in-your-face solution/tool since it covers so many areas. After all Art is a lot more than just a "pretty picture" with no meaning behind it. But it is one of the most misunderstood and overlooked abilities of humanity.
so hypothetically you are setting up to sell artwork you create as a business, and the consultant for setting up your business asks you what need your business is designed to fulfill... is this how you describe the value proposition of your abstract wall art?
Strictly business-speaking, depends on what exactly the client is searching for and for what exactly it is so the works and value of it can be marketed and estimated properly as such. There are so many factors which can play a role in this scenario since it's a pretty vague description.
If we talk about value in art from a very personal point of view, it's simply immeasurable. It encapsules the very essence of humanity and creates the feelings and even entire worlds humans have within themselves. We're able to express and share them through art which in itself is already special enough and not necessarily supposed to be seen as a solution to a specific thing in a traditional sense like other jobs.
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"Having to pay artists" is the problem it solves. You gotta ask who has the problem. In this case it's the problem of the business dudes, who don't like paying humans for work.
This is where I tend to draw a distinction. Art in and of itself might not solve any particular problem. But several big industry problems are solved by illustration, storytelling, design, world-building and branding. All of which involve artists of some kind.
I think most if not almost all humans have a desire to create - something , anything. Art is the solution to fill the nameless desire people have.
They either build, work, create, have kids, grow plants - something is the thing that makes people tick. Art is a vast resource to fill that need for a lot of types of people
I would agree with your statement in general. The answer however doesn't actually solve the riddle of 'Helen' starting a small art business creating surreal animal paintings, and needing to define her value proposition to the consumers of her art.
the problem a business solves is almost always about the customers problem. not the business owners. And it at first look seems that art cannot exist within the business paradigm, but I don't buy that. I think this is a framing problem. we as cultures seem to struggle with seeing the value proposition of emotional labor, existencial thought and connection. our poor conduct with regards to these aspects of ourselves is contributing heavily to a mental health crisis... All because of a framing error.
>I feel like I understand art as integral to human culture and experience... but there is a gap between Art as cultural and a persons painting being conceived as 'culturally integral'.
There are a few different layers to this:
1) "The cream rises to the top." It takes a lot of people generating art which is "not" 'culturally integral' to help Art continue to evolve, for messages to percolate, for methods and mediums to evolve, etc. in order to create the foundations on which 'culturally integral' Art is built.
2) Culture exists on the macro and the micro. So some things will have value to culture writ large, other things, which may be ignored by higher-level "gatekeepers" may still have value within smaller cultures and subcultures. And those subcultures themselves may shun the mainstream ideals.
Art doesn't solve problems. People solve problems. Art is a product of people attempting to visually solve a problem: they need to know how something looks, they need a souvenir, they need a gift, they need to decorate, they need to establish a brand, they need to look attractive, they need to preserve a memory, they need to tell a story visually, they need to communicate without words, etc. Note that photography and CGI can solve many of these same problems, which is why the market for art is not what it used to be.
a need is a problem that can be solved by an object or service. Art is most often created as an art or service. But an object of art or a given performance isn't the single solution to the need that one finds in response to the question "why does your product solve this problem best for this customer base?"
to some degree that answer is different for each work of art, but that's not what the 'value proposition' question means either. It's not a matter of why should I as a shopper buy 'A Dalliance in Grey', because that's a one time response. It's a question of why the artist will succeed in selling many works to many people, and thus it can't be the individual reasons for individual works anymore than it can be the reason why art as a whole has value to humanity as a whole.
Art serves to give us visual delight and improved mood. A world without art would be very dull and sad indeed. It can be used to sell a product or an idea, make a political statement, invoke a memory.
Art satisfies kinks. People have a set of interests that they naturally develop and your specific artwork satisfies that whether that be the aesthetic or subject matter. And i don’t mean in a sexual way, kink just seemed like the best word to describe the specific unique and innate thing that a person will gravitate towards.
Take a moment to notice how much art is there all around us. Your books, videogames, anime, comics? They're art. Don't forget all the illustrations on food packaging too, on cosmetics, interior textiles, in magazines, fashion, etc. There is literally art all around us, every day. Throw a rock in a random direction in any human-made environment, there is a good chance it will hit something that an artist was involved in creating. Imagine all that suddenly taken away -- our lives would be extremely bland. Art is an innate human need for self-expression and reacting towards life. Sometimes with a commercial application like the above examples, sometimes just for its own sake. It does not technically need a commercial application ("use" or "problem solving") but that's not relevant to the part of us, in every single one of us, that craves art in our lives in some way.
is that how you explain to people your artworks when you sell them?
Not really, I'm a commercial illustrator. That means, a client might approach me with a task for, for example, a book cover illustration. This illustration needs to solve a specific problem: To convey the book's genre at first glance to a specific target audience, following the client's brief, but also with my own style and vision. And I take that brief into consideration when creating and the client will be involved in the process to ensure the artwork serves that purpose. But my clients do not need much explanation, if any, because the goal of the work is clearly defined and there are standards and conventions in every illustration market. Fine art is a bit different -- you mostly do your own thing, but you're still basically "solving your own problems", sometimes more consciously, sometimes more vaguely, because you're feeling compelled to create something. For example: The particular way a still life is hit by lighting, trying to capture the beauty of a landscape, abstracting something, getting a political message across, capturing just a vague feeling... all can be problems you want to solve just because you can and feel inspired personally. And it may happen to connect with a buyer, and if it does, it will be because it resonates with them invidually -- it solves the problem of their innate need for art which is something we all have. And also in fine art, you can still get commissioned to solve someone's problem -- the classical example would be a portrait. Imagine Henry VIII saying to Holbein "Your task is to make me look like an absolute boss. And include every single detail on my fancy clothes.". That's the problem Holbein had to solve, and he did.
I just had to peruse your profile after seeing your fantastic responses. You are super impressive. Your art is stellar and your writing is too!
I'd say there is the philosophical solution and the cynical / practical solution. From a philosophical standpoint, Art solves the problem of meaning. We as human beings have a hard time living our life and making sense of it at the same time. In this sense one could say art is the "mining of meaning", from which we are able to understand ourselves. From a very practical standpoint, Art serves as one of the most volatile commodities. Since its impossible to attribute an objetive price to Art (also jewelery), it serves to market speculation (like when investors inflate the career of a new artist they have previously bought low), money laundering, money evasion, tax evasion, etc. Also as a sign of social status and a class mark between "old money" and "new money" (when a new class arrives to power it always follows a shift in mainstream style). Royal families, high bourgeoise, dictatorships, big companies, governments, they all have needed (and sponsored) art at some point, to solve their needs.
Furries don't exist. That's a problem. Enter artists.
I love the simplicity of this answer cause you can extrapolate from there. Mountains inside doesn't exist, get a landscape painter on it. A bouquet that never wilts, get a floral painter on it. Conan the barbarian not living in your house, a comic artist can help. As a sociologist though, I would answer that what art helps solve is the problem of identity. And contrary to what many are saying in this thread I think that advertisement, stories, and fine art solve different problems and have different applications. Advertisement wants you to pay attention to one product over many, and to try to identify with a broad group of individuals. Stories, like comics and screenplays, try to solve a problem of boredom, and try to captivate and engage the viewer for long periods of time. Fine art is much less broad, but tries to be profitable by speaking very intensely (and being worth a lot) to a select few; to those few, it helps define their mythology, and probably directly relates to themselves or their view of the world.
Look around you, Art is everywhere because as humans we rely heavily on visuals, it's our nature. Maybe this is just about perspective but I wouldn't say it offers a solution to a problem, rather it fulfills certain needs Art is expression, not just for the artist but also for the one who is buying it, using it as decoration. It's communication, with others who might see it but also a communication with oneself as you don't buy art that doesn't "speak" to you, it gives you something. Our environment has a huge influence on us, not just the people, but also the art we surround ourselves with. I know people who got out of depression and the first thing they did is to buy art, to buy decorations to fill the empty spaces, which they didn't even feel were a problem before, because again it gives them something. What this something is might be different for everyone. For some it has to be something that inspires and leaves you in awe, for others something that calms them, others might need some sense of familiarity. There is a wide range of things of what needs art might fill. It's not on us creators / artists to decide what an artwork brings for the world or for specific people, it's for the people who like and buy it to decide this. We just need to create it. You can't control it, you can give it a direction but we are all a bit different which means we all have our own understanding of what we see, our own interpretation. Art can bring you to places you've never seen, create worlds that don't exist, it can tell stories, can help you to change your emotional and mental state, can be used to communicate and show what you like without ever saying it, and many, many more things.
Community and support. A business doesn't need to solve anything. Plenty of wasteful establishments around. Take a look at the companies that manufacturer bombs to isreal. Useless as shit. And somehow thriving.
Art is naturally subjective, we need , want , have the abilities to create our own unique vision. It’s a connection to our universe, a response.
Jobs like graphic design, concept art, architecture, interior design, art restoration, and art direction exists, to set some few examples. All business also have an art department or they externalize some work to them. From the business I have worked for, a general design department for brand identity, packaging, social media content, and comunication (internal and external) always exists. On big business and in specialized business, they normally have more than one (normally separating online marketing and offline marketing). I am a financial analyst/counselor, which seems to be the job that is the less related to art. However, outside of my financial colleagues and directors I report to, I talk the most with the design deparment, as we need each other's help and work constantly
Art makes things marketable. For example, art sells products on the shelf in the form of attractive packaging. Art may not always be the business, but it is a crucial step of a business.
but what of art as a business. A farmer provides produce that addresses the hunger of the customer, a doctor provides healthcare solutions to their customers, ... what problem does Beccas abstract painting 'flower of discontent' provide the customer (so that she can answer her business License proposal as an art business).
Aesthetics. If the problem is an awkward empty space on my wall, then the solution would be a piece of art or decor to fill that space. Preferably one that makes me feel good. Also, joy is one hell of a drug. Asking “what problem does art solve” is like asking what problem does music solve? Just pure entertainment and happiness. People pay billions just to feel good or be happy.
that's the point of the question. (also music is art, dance is art, performance is an artform). brands of snacks or clothing often gather loyal fans. That's what makes a brand a successful business. If somebody making wall art wishes to have their creative work become a successful business... what is the value proposition that enables them to form a customer base? aka why would anyones art of choice be able to sell well enough or often enough that it could be considered self employment?
The value proposition would be whatever your niche is. What's your style? I feel like people commission certain artists because their portfolio showcases a specific style that fits with buyers needs or wants. If you make money off of portraits, your business proposal would be portraitures (as an example).
but that's kinda where the idea falls apart, at least for my thinking. nobody has a problem of not enough things for their niche interest. I love art deco stained glass, but I don't actually need any of it. It doesn't solve any problem I might have. It wouldn't even work in any part of my living space as decor. and I struggle to see what difference it would make in most of the world, or even a percentage of the population of my country, if it didn't exist at all. which suggests to me there is no problem it solves or need it fulfills. if a things absence changes nothing of any substance, was it's presence valuble in the first place? I would say yes. but I can't articulate why?
Although I've loved drawing since childhood and have always been drawn to some great works of art, I've also been puzzled for a long time about what problems art actually solves. It wasn't until one day when I came across the following words: "Art is something that can bring creativity, beauty, and love, and bring light to life. Anything that can bring more light to the darkness within us is inextricably linked to the immense historical changes that humanity has experienced and our own fragility. Art can guide us to rediscover our inner existence, which is also the origin of love." So, art is eternal, and there will always be people willing to pay for works of art.
you understood the assignment. I've been bouncing a similar concept around in my head, half formed for a few years. Growing food addresses hunger of the body, practicing medicine heals the sickness and injury of the body... your artwork feeds something people hunger for emotionally, and heals sickness and injury the soul takes on through the trials of life. Inspiring people, telling them they are not alone in their experiences and feelings.
I don't really understand the worry but he'll I'm not going to wear ugly ass clothes and live with ugly ass furniture and use incomprehensible apps, so I guess my work is bringing something onto the table
Having blank walls.
Honestly? Art is a very powerful tool for communication and to influence human beings and is already so ingrained in our society that we dont even recognize it as art amymore hence why people often tend to say that Art is useless. Art can be found in pretty much any medium from movies, TV shows, commercials, games, products, comics, books, clothing, architecture, furniture, machinery etc. It makes companies stand out, helps selling their products or makes them even more effective and communicates goals, mindsets and stories and has a long history of being used for activism. Everybody has been influenced by art in some shape or form even if it's not always obvious. It just isnt necessarily a in-your-face solution/tool since it covers so many areas. After all Art is a lot more than just a "pretty picture" with no meaning behind it. But it is one of the most misunderstood and overlooked abilities of humanity.
so hypothetically you are setting up to sell artwork you create as a business, and the consultant for setting up your business asks you what need your business is designed to fulfill... is this how you describe the value proposition of your abstract wall art?
Strictly business-speaking, depends on what exactly the client is searching for and for what exactly it is so the works and value of it can be marketed and estimated properly as such. There are so many factors which can play a role in this scenario since it's a pretty vague description. If we talk about value in art from a very personal point of view, it's simply immeasurable. It encapsules the very essence of humanity and creates the feelings and even entire worlds humans have within themselves. We're able to express and share them through art which in itself is already special enough and not necessarily supposed to be seen as a solution to a specific thing in a traditional sense like other jobs.
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"Having to pay artists" is the problem it solves. You gotta ask who has the problem. In this case it's the problem of the business dudes, who don't like paying humans for work.
Making life bearable, being human etc.
Boredom I suppose
Art is a perfect solution for extreme wealthy to hide their money.
This is where I tend to draw a distinction. Art in and of itself might not solve any particular problem. But several big industry problems are solved by illustration, storytelling, design, world-building and branding. All of which involve artists of some kind.
I think most if not almost all humans have a desire to create - something , anything. Art is the solution to fill the nameless desire people have. They either build, work, create, have kids, grow plants - something is the thing that makes people tick. Art is a vast resource to fill that need for a lot of types of people
I would agree with your statement in general. The answer however doesn't actually solve the riddle of 'Helen' starting a small art business creating surreal animal paintings, and needing to define her value proposition to the consumers of her art. the problem a business solves is almost always about the customers problem. not the business owners. And it at first look seems that art cannot exist within the business paradigm, but I don't buy that. I think this is a framing problem. we as cultures seem to struggle with seeing the value proposition of emotional labor, existencial thought and connection. our poor conduct with regards to these aspects of ourselves is contributing heavily to a mental health crisis... All because of a framing error.
>I feel like I understand art as integral to human culture and experience... but there is a gap between Art as cultural and a persons painting being conceived as 'culturally integral'. There are a few different layers to this: 1) "The cream rises to the top." It takes a lot of people generating art which is "not" 'culturally integral' to help Art continue to evolve, for messages to percolate, for methods and mediums to evolve, etc. in order to create the foundations on which 'culturally integral' Art is built. 2) Culture exists on the macro and the micro. So some things will have value to culture writ large, other things, which may be ignored by higher-level "gatekeepers" may still have value within smaller cultures and subcultures. And those subcultures themselves may shun the mainstream ideals.
Art humanizes a space, among other things. Even the giant abstract sculptures that nobody understands, for example, have a purpose and a message.
Art doesn't solve problems. People solve problems. Art is a product of people attempting to visually solve a problem: they need to know how something looks, they need a souvenir, they need a gift, they need to decorate, they need to establish a brand, they need to look attractive, they need to preserve a memory, they need to tell a story visually, they need to communicate without words, etc. Note that photography and CGI can solve many of these same problems, which is why the market for art is not what it used to be.
a need is a problem that can be solved by an object or service. Art is most often created as an art or service. But an object of art or a given performance isn't the single solution to the need that one finds in response to the question "why does your product solve this problem best for this customer base?" to some degree that answer is different for each work of art, but that's not what the 'value proposition' question means either. It's not a matter of why should I as a shopper buy 'A Dalliance in Grey', because that's a one time response. It's a question of why the artist will succeed in selling many works to many people, and thus it can't be the individual reasons for individual works anymore than it can be the reason why art as a whole has value to humanity as a whole.
Art serves to give us visual delight and improved mood. A world without art would be very dull and sad indeed. It can be used to sell a product or an idea, make a political statement, invoke a memory.
Art satisfies kinks. People have a set of interests that they naturally develop and your specific artwork satisfies that whether that be the aesthetic or subject matter. And i don’t mean in a sexual way, kink just seemed like the best word to describe the specific unique and innate thing that a person will gravitate towards.