Is art decorative or political?

I have a hard time accepting what the experts tell me about art as 'high culture' especially when it is an institution like the Arts Council who try desparately to maintain a coherent art history. Art's origin is decorative. Why the bullshit?

Is art decorative or political?
Art is both for decorative purposes and also has a tight niche in political usage. Art is a speech form, a communication mode, a pulpit for the manipulators and to the admirers a message form. It is worthy of note that politics being defined as the implementation of one policy or the other would find art forms as ready vehicles to strike at the hearts of the unwary.
Reply:It's nice meeting people who appreciate answers to their questions in such a way the asker of this particular question did. Thanks a million for making me feel wise. Report It

Reply:yea gurl i agree w/ u'n' i think it's decorative
Reply:Art is decorative! ...but along the history politic used it!
Reply:thank you! i really don't appreciate all this tracy emmin garbage any more. it's getting old and I just want to be blown away by something's beauty.
Reply:Art can be used for many purposes, misused too, I think. Check out the poster art used for propaganda purposes. Certainly political stuff there.





I agree about the "high culture" business. I make art because I feel compelled to make art. Sometimes my art is out of frustration with the political system like torturing captives, sometimes it is just about making beautiful things.





Great question.
Reply:Art is many things, and it is defined by both institutions (professors, associations, etc.) as well as by artists (and people in general). It really depends on the art itself on whether we can say "it's decorative" or not. Some art isn't meant to be pretty or decorative, but to be thought-inspiring. As for "high culture," well some art can be in that high culture... they refer to avante-garde art that is groundbreaking, fresh, and new, which can only be appreciated by experts. The kind of art that most people are used to isn't that "high culture" political art... stuff on stationary, stickers, towel designs, for example, would be called kitsch (generic art). That kind of art has almost no politics concerned with it, but it's still art. The closest answer I could give you is that art is many things... in fact, art is always changing anyways, so don't ever take one definition as the absolute one.
Reply:the political or decorative interpretation depends on the viewer not just the artist. but often an artist interjects themselves into their decorative outlet. cant seem to help themlelves and this has been going on since the dawn of art. nevermind the fact that many paintings and sculptures are commisioned. many famous paintings could be labelled as politically slanted in religions favor. bullshit its not. if you are only seeing art as merely decorative you need to open your eyes.