Timeless Art

Timeless Art: Unraveling the link between time and art
Art is everywhere. Since time immemorial, the role of art is considered to be a vital part
of societies and civilizations as it proves to be a parcel of heritage that is passed to the future
generations. Despite the significance of art, we cannot deny that art is the one of the most
obscure idea in our society. I, myself, experience personally how ambiguous art is. Once, I
attended a play. Beside the theater was a gallery which contains portraits and paintings which I
visited with a friend. What struck me the most was the white painting in a square canvas.
Questions filled my mind like, “How did this become art?” and “Is there a hidden meaning
behind this white painting?”. Later that night, an hour of research provided me an answer that it
indeed is an art but at the same time, a whole new world regarding art opened before my eyes. I
learned from that experience that more than asking “Is it an art?”, one must ask first “What is
art?” and unravel what this question entails eventually- the factors that affect how we define and
experience art.
The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe (Berger, 1972).
Hence, the factors that affect the meaning of art is in relation to the limitation of human mind
and human experience which can be similarly asserted to the factors that affects how we
experience art. Ultimately, what affect the meaning and experience of art is time. This argument
can be seen in the Thomas Wartenberg’s book The Nature of: An Anthology. Elaborating the
major philosophical discussions on the nature of art from the time of ancient Greeks to present
day (Wartenberg, 2007), we can see how these philosophers’ discourse on art is heavily affected
by the time in which they lived. For example, Plato perceived art as an imitation because the art s
performed and executed during his time are sculptures that tend to copy human forms.
Meanwhile, the rise of structuralism in the 20 th century paves way for Roland Barthes’ insight
regarding art as a text. Similarly, time is essential in how we experience art. The rise of computer
and World Wide Web today allows easier and more convenient access to visual works which
used to be exclusive in museums and parks and etc. But how does time become the ultimate
factor?
The course of human history is divided into periods that provides the social context in
which humans live. This social context provides the culture and ideology that prevails during
that period that eventually shaped how people experience and give meaning to art. According to
Guillermo (n.d.), the meaning-conveying potential of the elements in a visual work comes from
the socio-cultural context with its conventions and traditions. For example, the Medieval period
which featured the elevation of religious relics as art usually use the color blue for Mother Mary.
The color blue during that time is an expensive hue thus is exclusively used for eminent figures
such as Mother Mary. In relation to this, people during Medieval times usually experience and
witness art in churches since the Church predominantly possess the intellectual grounds during
that time.
Aside from social context, time is the backdrop of technological innovations that also
contributed to how we perceive art and even experience it. The rise of technology has been
providing artists with new ways to express themselves for a very long time (Rieland, 2014).
Today, art does not just refer to visual work but as time passes and technology advances, various
forms of art also emerges such as performance art or even light as a medium for artist. At the
same time, our experience of art is also affected by technology. Since technology allows
innovation, we can now experience art whenever and wherever we are. In fact, this reproduction
of artworks is problematized by Berger (1972) in his Ways of Seeing as he argues that the
reproduction of artworks through photography decontextualize art and even cause mystification
that is detrimental to art and its purpose.
Lastly, time serves as an indicator of economic trends in civilizations that can also
influence in experiencing and giving definition to art. Economics concerns the efficiency, equity,
growth and stability in an economic system. Similarly, art takes a complementary role by
achieving this aim (Alpagu, 2014). This observation of Alpagu in his study is parallel to the
argument of Will Gompertz (2012) in his book, What Are You Looking at?: The Surprising
Shocking and Sometimes Strange Story of 150 Years of Modern Art. In this book, Gompertz
presented that the current “mood that permeated the art world” which is Entrepreneurialism. This
movement is where artist themselves sell their artworks in galleries. The artworks themselves are
up-front, in-yer-face, look-at-me types, with a knack of self-promotion (Gompertz, 2012).
Today, art is more than enjoyment and aesthetics but it’s also about investment and branding. It
became more than a decoration but evolved as an asset.
Overall, time is the ultimate factor that affects how we perceive and experience art. But,
one should not deny that as time provides the social context, technology and economy as
backdrops that shapes artwork, the dynamic between social context, technology and economy
further elaborates and paves way to understanding what is art and how we experience art. When
we look for example on the art of effigy, we do not only observe the time in which the effigy
emerge but also the interplay between the society, technology and economy that gives rise to
creation of an effigy.
Bibliography
Alpagu, H. (2014). Economy and Art: Why are Economy and Art Closely Linked? Journal of Economics
Library, I(1), 3-8. Retrieved from https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/108378/1/158-437-
1-PB.pdf
Berger, J. (1972). Ways of Seeing. Penguin.
Gompertz, W. (2012). What are you looking at?: The Surprising, Shocking, and Sometimes Strange Story
of 150 Years od Modern Art. New York: Penguin Group.
Guillermo, A. (n.d.). Reading the Image.
Rieland, R. (2014, August 27). 7 Ways Technology is Changing How Art is Made. Retrieved from
Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/7-ways-technology-is-changing-
how-art-is-made-180952472/
Wartenberg, T. (2007). The Nature of Art: An Anthology (Vol. II). Belmont, CA, USA: Thomson
Wadsworth.

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Timeless Art: Unraveling the link between time and art

Berger, J. (1972). Ways of Seeing. Penguin.

Guillermo, A. (n.d.). Reading the Image.

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