I've recently been reading into Leo Tolstoy's definition of what art truly is, and most glassblowing (for commercial sale) would likely fall under his definition of "counterfeit art" this is when something aesthetically appealing is viewed as art even though it is not truly art. Art, by Tolstoy's definition, conveys the individual feelings or emotions the artist wants to convey through his means of expression. Most blown glass pieces are made to please a customer, thus are made aesthetically based on what others find pleasurable. This makes sense if a glassblower wants to make a living and intends to sell his pieces, obviously. I'm in no way saying that blowing glass does not take artistic skill, let me make that clear. I'm saying that making artistic objects to please others does not convey the emotions of the blower, but the wants of the consumer. example: a blower makes a beautiful piece in Rastafarian colors with a picture of Bob Marley on it because many stoners enjoy Bob Marley's music and enjoy Rastafarian colors. This is counterfeit art because it does not reflect the feelings of the blower, but the feelings of the intended consumer of this piece. but if say, the artist practiced a Rastafarian lifestyle and felt a stong bond with Bob Marley through his music or personal experiences, then it contains some degree of individual expression via the blower and IS considered art. It really gets mind-boggling when you try to define it as either art or counterfeit art if the blower had been inspired by Bob Marley's music so that he blew a piece to express those shared feelings. Then he is not the individual creating art to infect others with his personal feelings, but the one so infected with the feelings of Bob Marley that he conveys it through glassblowing thus infecting others with Marley's own individual expression. not at all hating on glassblowers, as there are many talented artists out there. Simply pointing out that under Tolstoy's definition of art, many pieces are not considered true art. thoughts?
"Art" has a lot of definitions, and I still don't know which one I agree with.. I read somewhere that art is anything you create, even when you destroy something, you are creating something else. So, in that sense pretty much everything can be defined as art. There are lots of people who create art without any real depth in order to please the consumers. Adverts, CDs, movies and so on. I wouldn't describe Soulja Boy or some cheesy romantic comedy as art, but the people who enjoy Soulja Boy's music and romantic comedies probably would. Just like you (or Tolstoy) think that glassblowing is a counterfeit art, I'm pretty sure the person buying the Bob Marley piece would consider it art. Even if it doesn't mean anything personally to the creator, it could mean the world to the buyer.
i don't think glassblowing is a counterfeit art, i'm simply pointing out that it is using Tolstoy's definition. there are flaws to his definition obviously but as it stands it's interesting to discuss. I find myself too naive to formulate my own definition for such an abstract ideal