Art is defined as the expression or application of humans, creative skill and imagination. But to what extent is that appropriate? Is there a limit to what can be defined as art? Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan is a visual artist and known for his sculptures and installations. Known as a jokester in the art world, he sparked controversy in 2019 when his famous piece — a banana duct-taped to a wall — sold for $120,000, igniting debates about its legitimacy as art after a hungry student ate the banana.
The simple portraying of a banana taped to a wall as art reminds us that art can be expressed in thousands of ways. Paly’s newest art teacher Mike da Ponte believes that art can also foster universal connections and is unique to every individual. He specifically uses art mainly as a form of self-discovery and finds the process therapeutic.
“I go into a lot of history about my identity as someone who’s adopted at birth, questioning where I come from and why and a lot of things that happened without having a biological roadmap,” da Ponte said. “Those are very personal things.”
Recently, he has found himself gravitating towards glass materials to create art.
“It [glass] offers a lot of different possibilities to create, and that’s kind of why I love the material,” da Ponte said.
While the art forms that da Ponte practices are well known around the world, Paly senior Sasha Kapadia thinks that art can be tailored to every individual and there should be no set definition as to what is classified as a piece of art.
“There are limits to what I consider art, but I still think that people should be able to follow their own definition,” Kapadia said. “Art isn’t about following a rubric or specific path; it’s about expression and creating something that is fulfilling to yourself.”
Similar to da Ponte, Kapadia was exposed to art at a young age.
“Art has always been a big part of my life, ever since I was young,” Kapadia said. “It has also taught me a lot and helped me gain confidence. I have learned that hard work pays off through the sense of satisfaction I feel after finishing a piece I have spent hours on.”
The wide range of art forms provides many opportunities to explore creativity. Paly junior Charlotte Barclay believes her passion for art stems from this variety.
“It [art] really impacts my life,” Barclay said. “It’s a way to express thoughts that I can’t otherwise express through words.”
According to Barclay, art should not be limited to its conventional styles.
“Art is whatever an individual defines as an expression of themselves,” Barclay said. “There’s no rules in art; I think that’s the beauty of it.”
While art can help people connect with their inner selves and discover passions, it also can help others come together and create a sense of community and form relationships.
“I indirectly found teaching as an option for glass blowing … but since my time in education, I feel like I can connect with kids a lot better just because I was kind of the same,” da Ponte said.
As society is shifting to a more digital world, art can help bring people together through shared experiences.
“It [art] can create great communities because it’s how people are able to connect with other people over the same form of enjoyment of a specific type of art,” Barclay said.
Art can also allow people to decompress from stressful situations by connecting with art and artists.
“Oftentimes, I think that my emotions end up being relatable to the viewer,” Kapadia said. “I believe that art can help people feel less alone and bring them together.”
In current times, art is incorporated into big events as a way to express a statement, potentially causing controversy around the art itself. One form of art that not many people consider is advertisement. This was a significant factor in the recent 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, viewed worldwide.
Blake Beers is the Vice President of brand marketing at Calm, a mental wellness brand with the No. 1 app for sleep and meditation. Beers, who recently ran an election ad, states that advertising deserves to be recognized as an art form just as much as a painting or drawing.
“We’re all trying to hint at something that’s deeply human and evoke a feeling or a reaction,” Beers said.
Furthermore, Beers sees a deeper meaning in the art she is exposed to and encourages others to consider that when viewing and creating art.
“It [art] usually comes from some form of lived experience,” Beers said. “I think that no matter what kind of art you’re creating, it’s usually from a deep place of introspection and lived experience, and from there, a lot of different creativity can be born.”
Kapadia agrees with this view, believing that people often don’t see the meaning behind the artwork and can come to false conclusions.
“A lot of modern art nowadays is pretty controversial because people think it’s easy or simple, and while I partly agree, I think that it’s just a different type of art,” Kapadia said.
Kapadia feels as if there can be assumptions behind art, and people can sometimes discount what the artist is trying to portray.
“There can be meaning and thought behind modern art, even if it’s not completely apparent on the canvas,” Kapadia said.
Another factor as to why art can be misinterpreted is that oftentimes they are only looked at for a short period of time, preventing a person from fully connecting and understanding the concept of the piece itself.
“If anyone stops and looks at a piece of art for more than a minute, that’s a really good indicator that [the art] connected with something,” da Ponte said.
Ultimately, people should use art to express themselves and their feelings and not feel pressured to create it in a certain way that fits to others standards.
“The universe of art really has no bounds or limits,” Beers said. “That’s the beauty of it [art], I don’t think that it can really be defined.”
