Conceptual Art Questions

Conceptual Art Questions

1.) The viewer is an important element in conceptual art because of the viewer’s mental participation. Conceptual Art is nothing without the viewer because it relies on the effect of thought and question.
2.) It was very difficult for people to accept “The Fountain” by Duchamp because it was not accepted as a sculpture. Before the fountain, people just thought of art as being a beautiful painting or sculpture. Also, people probably thought that he did not truly make anything because of it being a “readymade.”
3.) The questions that Duchamp poses with his “ready-mades” are, “can this be art?” For example: for the Fountain, Duchamp presents the statement, “this is a urinal” as a question. Can this urinal be artwork?
4.) It is difficult to categorize conceptual art in the context of traditional art because; it is not art that is based off of tradition or culture. Conceptual art is viewed the same way Duchamp’s fountain was viewed.
5.) My favorite quote from the reading is at the very end of the reading. “Conceptual art asks questions not only of the art object but also of the person who looks at it. It draws viewers’ attention to themselves, making them self-conscious (page 6).” I found this to be interesting because, it is such a solid answer of what conceptual art is. It seems like throughout the reading, there are many descriptions and definitions of conceptual art but, at the very end he sums everything up in that quote. If conceptual art is done right, the viewer is left asking the questions: Why is this art? Who is the artist? What is the context? Who am I? What do I represent?