Art in progress

Thus far, I have never viewed art as anything but a final object. Whether a painting, sculpture, photograph, or some other medium, art is generally viewed as individual pieces that are the culmination of an artist’s hard work. Bruce Neuman, an innovative American artist, believes art is more than just the end product: “If I was an artist and I was in the studio, then whatever I was doing in the studio must be art.” Neuman is the first of many contemporary artists to broaden the definition of art to include not just a finished product, but also the entire process of creating such a product. For Neuman, and many other artists, each process is as unique as the final piece. The final artwork does not reveal the endless hours within the studio, the list of ideas dismissed before settling on one final plan, or the sweat, tears, and love of the artist who created the piece. The process of creating art, the work in progress, is art itself.

-Tina