The Three Components of Art.

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The Three Components of Art

Derek Kerslake
© September 2000.
Rewritten © May 2001.

Each side of the triangle represents one of the three essential components of art suspended in an atmosphere that is a collection of utterances Foucault called, "discourse". Art discourse formulates an "understanding" of the nature of art and it is for this reason that a definition of art is never beyond reconsideration. It is always being modified but not so much so as to be without substance at a given moment.

Both capitalistic and modern ideals, though past their prime, still exercise much influence and it is within such a society that the "art triad" operates.

The first and often mistaken for the only component, is the item. More on the item later but first let me mention the second which is the myth and lastly and the most contentious and fragile component, the economic portion. A relationship of the three, is represented by a triangle though it is never equilateral. All three sides are independent and yet connected so as to make the whole a closed form. Should one component be missing, the graphical result would be a straight line which might suggest the work or works discussed were less than complete as art.

First the Item:
The item may not necessarily be an object as in visual art but might also be sounds like a symphony or a performance or a film and so on. The item then is the vehicle or package which is made accessible to a spectator and represents the artist's intended communication. The "item" is an utterance or thought transformed into a recognizable thing. It is a statement by the artist in a chosen medium.

The second component is the Myth.
Artists presenting work to a jury or donating work to a charity will recall being asked for a biography (bio.) or a CV. This is a small part of the myth component but I choose the word myth carefully because it helps illustrate how the three Components are interrelated. When a work leaves the artist and enters a collection, a story accompanies the work which begins with the CV or biography but becomes transformed by the story teller, be it docent, collector, curator or critic. The story is not told by the artist and is in fact outside the artist's control and knowledge but the grandeur which the story takes on will become a part of the art as much as and sometimes more than the individual works. In the case of famous artists, the myth almost takes over the content and it certainly drives the next component.

The Economic component:
Whenever works are sold the price or economic component is obvious but I for one was surprised to find wherever my work was presented, even as a donation, one of the most difficult issues to be discussed was not the artistic merit of the work or my personal integrity as an artist but the most difficult issue for me was the "value". There is no way the issue can be avoided in our present society. Sensationalism will divert attention for the short term but make no mistake, if you are talking about art, the question of "value" must be answered satisfactorily.

The art triad of Item, Myth and Economic is not a personal preference or how I think it should be but is a concept I believe is worth considering.

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