Three Types

I decided this morning that there are generally three types of art we see today.  I'm not really including functional art like crafts or architecture.  Just "fine art".  Art, art.

1.  Art that aims at being aesthetically pleasing but only for the sake of beauty and nothing else.  This art has no soul.

2.  Art that is conveying a concept, story or idea.  It may or may not intend to also be aesthetically pleasing. This art has no soul.

3.  Art that has a soul.  

So how can we measure whether or not some work of art has a soul?  We can't.  It's something we feel.  And some people's souls won't connect with the soul of one work of art but may with another.  

I felt a soul in the mosaics on the ceiling of the Chora Museum.  But was it really because the artist put soul into it? Maybe it was just that so many souls have passed through there, so many hands have touched those walls.  We can't really know but I think a lot of religious art is filled with soul because the person making it was passionately in love with God and creating something just for him.  So perhaps the soul of a work of art does not just come from the artist but may also come from a collective consciousness.  

So how do we know if something is soulless? And why do people make soulless art?  There is no true answer.  But, I'll be daring and say that some art just doesn't touch the depths of most souls and that might be a good indication.  

Some art just looks cool.  Some art is great for academics to think about.  Some art has a soul.

And some art is none of those things....that is what us snobby artists call: "bad art"!