One time in junior high, we were in an art class and were being taught how to draw. As an exercise, we were to sketch a house. Just a simple house with a door and two windows. When I was done with mine, I was pleased and even patted myself on the back, only to have the teacher say otherwise. I was shocked. "Don't you see this work of art, Mr. Teacher?" I said in my mind.
Apparently, my lines were too straight. Of course they were! "You used a ruler, but you were meant to do a freehand sketch." The teacher explained. But I couldn't fathom, still. What I was seeing was a beautiful work of engineering, but that man was there telling me to be Da Vinci.
Maybe I should have known where my talent truly lies. It then makes sense why I chose to work so hard to learn engineering drawing and effortlessly do well in it. But then again, that building was my art, and I was trying to say something through it. Like I have always done with my other drawings, although they were mostly freehand drawings.
I appreciate art to a good extent. When I see a piece of art—say in a museum—I could admire it and appreciate the soul poured into it. There are some works of art that I would not even understand, because to me, art must at least appeal to my eyes unless I know the work that was put in. But I don't think they always have exact meaning.
Art, I think of as an expression of the soul. For example—something I relate to—the music a musician makes is really another expression of themselves. And that's why we "feel" them when they create. Even if an idea or piece may not be originally their idea or craft, you still get to feel them in some way.
No idea is completely original anyway. Like human beings and geneology, every idea is a new mashup or remix of one or more previous ideas, as Austin puts it in his book. So the meaning I see in an art of work is someone's expression made alive. There are, though, art works that convey specific meaning, perhaps telling a story or passing a message.
Yet not all art speaks to me. There are some that I just don't get and may likely never hang on my wall at home or something. Some others, I may be more drawn to their visual appeal and perhaps how they make me feel when I look at them. But if I have an artist reflect something about me or my life through art, surely I would highly appreciate such.
To therefore compare art of today with art from way before, I wouldn't say. If it appeals to me, then I'd like it, but even more if I know the level of detail poured on it. But it's all a matter of perspective, and art resonates differently with each person. For some, it's about beaty. Others, maybe the story, struggle, or message in between the lines, colours, and shapes.
So maybe it's okay that my "too straight" house from art class wasn't arty, but it was my expression. It might not have aligned with someone else's meaning of creativity, but it spoke about my love for precision and critical design thinking. Art at the end of the day is subjective.