what can be art

["Bill Urmenyi" <bill@zzzzzzzzzzzzz>]

There have been whole sections of library's full of books on the subject and untold numbers of student's theses.
In simple terms, and this is of course my personal take on the subject, art is anything that an artist decides that it is. If it is presented as art or recognised as art, then it is. The only question after that is whether it is good bad or indifferent and that is not absolute but is relative to the viewer and the time.

It is well known that the general public, who are not educated in matters artistic, tend to be about 100 years behind those who are currently art practitioners. Most of the art movements, which are now accepted as great where, in their day, decried as rubbish. Art does not get better with time but merely different. Nobody has ever bettered prehistoric man's artistic efforts but have produced works which are their equal but different. Time will judge the art works  but even then tastes change and that tends to effect peoples views on particular art works or art movements. It has to be said that there are many works which I do not like but appreciate that they are of merit.

There never will be a definitive answer to the question as the meaning of the question changes with time and who is asking it, as do the substantial plurality of answers.

Bill Urmenyi