Eleven Things That Art Is Not

Art is a distinct entity. It has its own characteristic, its own function, its own role to play in society. It must be afforded the status and identity it rightly deserves in a world that is becoming ever more needful of its existence.

“Art”, however, has increasingly become a catch-all term. Almost any product of the modern world shelters under it's umbrella. And thus, the word has become meaningless. There is little doubt that art is a powerful commodity of inestimable value. Yet that power is diluted and that value distorted by the inclusion of unnecessary elements into the field for which there is no justification. It is impossible to clearly define a term which has become so confused with unwarranted associations. Therefore, elucidation can be obtained by removing them. We need to distinguish what art is not, before we can begin to see what it is. Many artists and enthusiasts have been misled into focusing on specious goals. But you can know all that you need to know about art, and, inherently, you probably know more than you realise already. Clearing away the false information can dissipate the mystique. Such an unveiling should ultimately enable us to love art all the more, whatever our engagement with it.

Intended primarily for artists of all colours and flavours, as well as art appreciators, this audiobook aims to free up the thinking of the artist – or indeed anyone – by opening their eyes to many unexamined assumptions, and thereby questioning the validity of strongly-held views on the subject of art and the ways in which it is perceived. Eleven Things That Art is Not isolates these points of contention in a sometimes shocking, often counter-intuitive, yet thoroughly reasoned onslaught against conventional wisdoms, all in a quest to discover the true purpose of art. This quest takes the reader on a meandering journey through quantum physics, psychology, Zen Buddhism, philosophy, mathematics and ancient civilisations. PDF supplement at www.thedarcone.com.