Conceptual Art

What is conceptual art? From the information I have been subjected to, I believe conceptual art is a work in which each viewing is unique and sheds a new light to each set of eyes. The idea of conceptual art is to provoke thought, rather than have an everlasting art form. The focus is more about the journey, rather than the destination or final outcome. This can make conceptual art hard to preserve, since the concept of conceptual art can simply be an experience of the artist with no subject at all.

One specific artwork that caught my attention from this week’s lesson was Variability and Repetition of Similar Forms II, by Nancy Graves. I really liked this work because it provoked thought. Before reading the explanation in the book, I tried to gather my own analysis by simply viewing the photograph. With nothing else to base my analysis on, I thought this had something to do with the walking dead. How each living creature is living day to day, but ultimately every life will come to an end. I believe this is conceptual art, since it can provoke a variety of thoughts depending on the viewer and their background. Once I read the artist’s analysis, I discovered these were camel bones. She presented these to show that despite their illogical form, they still survive.

I really enjoy conceptual art, and probably always have. I enjoy looking at things that entice curiosity; leave a little mystery for the viewers, so we too feel like we are needed for the artwork to survive and thrive. Conceptual art is great in the sense that it is limitless. I feel like it is away to let out one’s inner most thoughts in a manner they see presentable for public eyes. It is almost as if you can compare it to an artist’s diary, or dialogue with themselves that they would like to share with the world and then allow it to be scrutinized, analyzed and judged. Conceptual art has no boundaries, which makes it interesting because you never know what to expect. When it comes to conceptual art, you can only expect the unexpected and I truly enjoy that idea.