Negative-Travis said: I remember watching something dealing with cars awhile back and one guy that was interviewed was asked if he considered certain cars to be "art". He responded with the following definition: "'Art' refers to anything at all that serves no purpose other than itself." So if were to go by this, anime could definitely be considered art. After all, the only reason it's made is to sell DVDs and fund the production of more anime. Well arguing what is art in general is pretty pointless in itself nowadays, it's something that has been dropped as a matter altogether long time ago. Art is art, what is art is irrelevant to art. |
| That quote in the OP comes off as extremely pretentious. Anime is art but it's probably not going to be considered art-art by snobs. |
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| I must have had a shit taste. Because people think this is art and this is not art |
| Yeah, I just don't think people who make judgements like that have seen enough anime to be...well...correct. If one were to look at the vast variety of animation and art styles that exist in different anime, it would immediately destroy the "all anime art is generic" argument. If you've only seen very few series, and if those series are more along then generic side, then yeah I suppose you could think that all anime looks the same. But that's wrong, and the best way to cure such a false sentiment is to watch more anime. Yes, anime is art. |
 I miss image BBC Code. May this sig stand as a testament to SSJMaster's power. |
OriginANIME said: Depending on your definition of art, anything could be considered "art". Exactly, anything can be called art, it is all up to a person to decide what is art or not. |
| OP "for the most part" yes anime CAN be art |
| Maybe the medium itself can't be called art. But there is art contained within it. OP, considering that you have Chuchu as your avatar, I imagine that you've seen at least one artistic anime. There are paintings that are considered art. There are other paintings that are definitely not art (Elvis on velvet, for instance). There are films that are considered art. And there are others that aren't (almost any Summer blockbuster). So, that's my opinion on it. It's not the medium that makes it art but what is done in the framework of the medium. Also: Nothing written in Yahoo Answers should be taken seriously. Ever. |
| Somewhere, there is an unplugged toaster sitting on a Coleman stove. Does it feel lonely? |
| If Mushi-Shi isn't art, I don't know what is. And don't forget that animators draw concept art before making anything, concept art that is considered art. So if the prototype is considered art, why wouldn't the perfected form be? |
| "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream!" - George W. Bush |
| Anime is not all about char designs, though... This is art: But just to humour the "college art major", here's some convetional totally generic char design: |
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IHAFUF said: OriginANIME said: Depending on your definition of art, anything could be considered "art". Exactly, anything can be called art, it is all up to a person to decide what is art or not. This. The art is purely subjective. |
I luv u |
| What about these pieces? The guys opinion seems really subjective to me and he come off as an arrogant person as well as ignorant |
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| I like to think about anime in the same way I think about stuff like form poetry and popular music. All three have certain conventions which must be adhered to at least the majority of the time in order to stay within the genre of work they are classified within, but it's the creators skill in utilizing the various parts and elements of those genres in interesting and original ways which gives their art meaning and quality. Basically, yeah anime is rigid and dogmatic, but so is ancient Greek theater. |
| Not if you're like this guy: |
This topic has not been locked and is still available for discussion. |
ssrex said: I've also found out that art teachers really dislike the fact that their students are drawing anime-styled characters because they don't believe that it's creative. I was about to say that an art student can't be this dumb, till I got this sentence. I don't know about other countries, but I think I can see where the professors attitude comes from. Basically, if you study fine arts, they have to teach you many things - proportions, perspectives, compositions, shading/manipulation of light (let say), types of strokes, usage of different materials, combining and replacing techniques - in summary, the ABC of making a proper, believable, and 3D looking object (or portrait) in a flat surface. Translated, it means that you start with sketches and turn them into drawing, where the initial defining lines disappear. The purpose of this is to evade errors and cheap techniques like smudging to achieve that said believability of the object you're drawing. The harder, the better - sort of. With this being the basic drawing skill one should master, consequent creative intentions have nothing to do with with the narrow pedagogical purpose. I would understand if those teachers keep the manga style at bay - almost every beginner in drawing tends to skip, intentionally or not, the pains of learning all that jazz. These criteria in drawing have been derived within the Western tradition, though, and again - has nothing to do with the concepts of drawing in the East, or Africa, or w/e. At least, I hope this is what they meant - it makes no sense otherwise. And yeah, this art guy is dumb - anime and manga are forms of arts - no doubt about it. |
MyLonesomeCowboy said: I like to think about anime in the same way I think about stuff like form poetry and popular music. All three have certain conventions which must be adhered to at least the majority of the time in order to stay within the genre of work they are classified within, but it's the creators skill in utilizing the various parts and elements of those genres in interesting and original ways which gives their art meaning and quality. Basically, yeah anime is rigid and dogmatic, but so is ancient Greek theater. You nailed it. Everything in art either creates or follows a convention. And the latter is way more frequent. Real originality is an event that, in a given art category, can pretty much happen once in a lifetime. The quote is not pretentious or snobby, though. It is downright stupid. As if art itself had defined categories of superiority and inferiority. And "it's artistic because it's more talented" is really in the level of saying "it's hilarious because it makes laugh". And like Shrabster said anime is a multidisciplinary category, you can't judge its art alone by the drawing and not take into account every element in it. |
| Picasso vs random fanartist. The first is consitered a masterpiece the second something to buy for $10. Go figure. I guess is nice knowing i was drawing masterpieces as a 5 year old. |
Akito_Kinomoto said: That quote in the OP comes off as extremely pretentious. Anime is art but it's probably not going to be considered art-art by snobs. "It's not art if it's not my art!" Personally that quote, despite claiming it's not being biased, is extremely biased. It sounds like it came from someone who hovers over anime and has little to no experience with it. I have seen similarities in art styles across many anime I've seen, but each of them has always had its own style to some degree. This is like when people say all Japanese voice actors sound the same. Once you watch enough anime, you can easily dispel this idea and there will be voices that stand out more than ever. |
ZekkenshinAug 1, 2013 2:59 AM
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| Lol, I stopped taking this seriously when I saw it was based on some random guy on yahoo. I mean saying that anime only has one artstyle is like saying 'I never watch anime and have no clue what it actually is'. |
| I probably regret this post by now. |
| also, what about superflat? |
| Not holistically speaking. A few anime are art, but most are merely entertainment. |
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Veronin said: Not holistically speaking. A few anime are art, but most are merely entertainment. Are art and entertainment really opposite concepts? |
jal90 said: Veronin said: Not holistically speaking. A few anime are art, but most are merely entertainment. Are art and entertainment really opposite concepts? Art is something that tries to appeal to the emotions on a deeper level. It doesn't even have to be pleasant - it can be melancholic, disturbing, even terrifying. Or it can remove any sense of sentimentality and use it as a vehicle for expressing an idea. Entertainment is one-dimensional and solely seeks to give the audience immediate satisfaction. Kind of like sex or masturbation. You enjoy it for a while and then stop caring about it afterwards. Obviously there's some overlap between the two, but most anime can be defined solely as entertainment. |
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| Of course it is, what else would it be? Anime and manga has it's own distinctive art style, and yes there are a lot of anime that look similar but it's still 'art'. It's not art on the same level as the stuff you find in galleries and whatnot, but a lot of time and effort goes into making anime and manga, and the end result is something that provokes some sort of emotion out of the viewer/reader. If it wasn't art we'd all be sitting watching blank screens. |
| If a blank portrait with only a dot in the middle is displayed at art gallery... THEN HOW DA FUCK IS ANIME NOT ART?! |
| Signature removed. Please follow the signature rules, as defined in the Site & Forum Guidelines. |
| I get pissed at this. First of all, unless it's done by the same mangaka, hardly any series look the same. There is a general style, yes, but isn't that the same with many art movements? Like for expressionism, all the paintings have that look that is messy as fuck. I'm not calling anime/manga an art movement btw. Second, in galleries, I've seen plenty of plain plastic or wooden boxes with nothing on them whatsoever and yet they're considered art. There's also always the 'let's pour paint all over this canvas' pieces in many exhibitions. So why can't 40 pages that a mangaka spends almost a month considered art too? ssrex said: I've also found out that art teachers really dislike the fact that their students are drawing anime-styled characters because they don't believe that it's creative. That's my art teacher all right. I am so going to fail my art GCSEs. =_= |
^ *prays for the day BBCode allows images again* |
Veronin said: jal90 said: Veronin said: Not holistically speaking. A few anime are art, but most are merely entertainment. Are art and entertainment really opposite concepts? Art is something that tries to appeal to the emotions on a deeper level. It doesn't even have to be pleasant - it can be melancholic, disturbing, even terrifying. Or it can remove any sense of sentimentality and use it as a vehicle for expressing an idea. Entertainment is one-dimensional and solely seeks to give the audience immediate satisfaction. Kind of like sex or masturbation. You enjoy it for a while and then stop caring about it afterwards. Obviously there's some overlap between the two, but most anime can be defined solely as entertainment. Entertainment is not more or less one-dimensional than art, because it really isn't tied to a specific degree of involvement. I can be entertained by something because I dig deeply into its themes as well as the contrary because I look at it from the surface level. Entertainment in fiction only describes the trend to escape the real world and embrace the fictional one (escapism), which alone doesn't say anything about the specific involvement you have with it. And if the show makes you relate the content to something in your reality, it's not any less escapist, because you are getting this feeling through the fictional depiction. |
MyLonesomeCowboy said: also, what about superflat? are you asking if superflat is art? my answer is a resounding YES Edit: Have you ever read "Little Boy - The Arts of Japan's Exploding Subculture" ? It definitely gave me a new appreciation for superflat. Of course its edited by Takashi Murakami so.... lol |
Kewpie_dollAug 1, 2013 10:14 AM
Anime manga art is very black and white Fixed that. Anyway, yeah anime is an art. If a dot on a piece of paper is art and sells for thousands of dollars, then I think anime should be considered an art. That's like saying painting portraits isn't an art because they all look the same: a human with eyes, a nose in between and a bit lower than the eyes, and below the nose, a mouth. Not to mention almost every portrait has at least a little bit of hair. You can make a portrait just about as unique as an anime character... In fact, if the the portrait has the same proportions as the person it is of, then anime has even more freedom, because drawings of fake people aren't limited to proportions and physics. |
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| Like others have already said, it really all comes down to what your own definition of what "art" is. In my opinion, art is something that gives imagery and thoughts when a person either sees, feels, or hears it; it can be on paper to on a wall or in technology. It doesn't actually matter whether the type of drawings, in this case anime, have more than one way of being artistically drawn. I mean, we all know that most anime characters do have rather disproportional body parts, but honestly, it's still pretty much art! I know this is an anime thread, but in a lot of manga, you can really tell the difference between who drew what manga... I don't know if you guys are understanding what I'm talking about because I'm all over the place with this, but yea, I do think anime is art even though those so called "professionals" says it's not. Anyways, anime is pretty awesome and I love watching it! |
| Theres no doubt that anime is art. People who think that it isn't art are only saying that because they think X style is superior and requires more effort and that is " true art". I bet if they were working their ass off in an animation studio, staying up all night finishing inbetweens and painting backgrounds, they would have more respect for anime. And people who do anime illustrations can spend as much time on them as people who do realism illustrations and they still look completely astounding. |
EternalFusion said: Art can also be effortless. Just because you worked hard at something, doesn't make it art.Theres no doubt that anime is art. People who think that it isn't art are only saying that because they think X style is superior and requires more effort and that is " true art". I bet if they were working their ass off in an animation studio, staying up all night finishing inbetweens and painting backgrounds, they would have more respect for anime. And people who do anime illustrations can spend as much time on them as people who do realism illustrations and they still look completely astounding. |
| Just like with video games and other 'controversial' forms, the only right answer to this question is: "It can be" Look, not every painting is art, and not every sculpture is art. My 6y old nephiew drowing with crayons on my walls isn't art, the celing of Sistine Chapel is. It all depends who created it and for what purpose. With anime the purpose is mostly entertainment. |
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ssrex said: TL;DR; all anime looks the same, so therefor anime is a low form of art, borderline not art. I've also found out that art teachers really dislike the fact that their students are drawing anime-styled characters because they don't believe that it's creative. 1. Anime is an art style that anyone on the planet can do, even though many insist that the Japanese are the only people on the planet capable of creating anime art. 2. Those art teachers need to go. Hidden_Joker said: This is considered art:  That's especially when I'll presume those same art teachers would view that garbage as art. |
| Click on this. I dare you. | MAL Fantasy Football League | Currently Watching List RWBY Club. RWBY is anime. Deal with it. |
| Jesus Christ. Not this topic Art- The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture,...: Yes, anime is art. So are video games, so is the shitty handpainting you made when you were 5 and so is Sword Art Online. But to be honest, while there may be some gems like every other medium, anime as a whole really isn't anything special |
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daintybiscuit said: MyLonesomeCowboy said: also, what about superflat? are you asking if superflat is art? my answer is a resounding YES Edit: Have you ever read "Little Boy - The Arts of Japan's Exploding Subculture" ? It definitely gave me a new appreciation for superflat. Of course its edited by Takashi Murakami so.... lol I meant more just like superflat is an art movement influenced by anime, so to say that anime style can't be art is just ignorant. |
ssrex said: TL;DR; all anime looks the same, so therefor anime is a low form of art, borderline not art. NEWSFLASH Who earns the title of deeming what is art and what isn't? Art is the "expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form.." Now, obviously the "creative skill and imagination" side of it can be subjective, but that sounds a lot like a drawing, painting, cartoon, etc. etc. Also, hundreds of thousands of paintings look the same, so what makes them more special than anime? It seems this know-it-all on Yahoo! never bothered to look any further than mainstream series, because there are tons and tons of "artsy" series out there. Kaiba, Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei, Kemonozume, Texhnolyze, Shigurui. Just to name a few series that go beyond the "confined style" this user describes. |
| By definition of the word, anime is art. So is a urinal repositioned on its side with some shit thrown on top. No, seriously. This is a famous, historical, revolutionary art piece called The Fountain by Duchamp. |
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| yes , yes they are. You need actors,scrip writers, directors , animators etc to create an anime... its a fine piece of art created by the work of so many talented people... |
MyLonesomeCowboy said: daintybiscuit said: MyLonesomeCowboy said: also, what about superflat? are you asking if superflat is art? my answer is a resounding YES Edit: Have you ever read "Little Boy - The Arts of Japan's Exploding Subculture" ? It definitely gave me a new appreciation for superflat. Of course its edited by Takashi Murakami so.... lol I meant more just like superflat is an art movement influenced by anime, so to say that anime style can't be art is just ignorant. gotcha ^^ i haven't reread about the history of superflat in a couple years. would be cool to look back. |
| Rule of thumb is if it's considered entertainment it cannot be art, of course there are plenty of examples of intermixing but this is the general rule. If you start putting entertainment on the same level as "high art", this will of course result in reality tv shows being considered art, comedy being considered art, ect, ect. |
Arete7 said: If you start putting entertainment on the same level as "high art", this will of course result in reality tv shows being considered art, comedy being considered art, ect, ect. What the actual and holy fuck did I read. |
jal90 said: Arete7 said: If you start putting entertainment on the same level as "high art", this will of course result in reality tv shows being considered art, comedy being considered art, ect, ect. What the actual and holy fuck did I read. Unless you've been living under a rock, comedy visual entertainment have never been or will be considered art ever. A piece of art can comedy something, but comedy is not art. |
jal90 said: Arete7 said: If you start putting entertainment on the same level as "high art", this will of course result in reality tv shows being considered art, comedy being considered art, ect, ect. What the actual and holy fuck did I read. He said The Taming of the Shrew isn't art. But that's Shakespeare. Oops? Though I always thought new art forms always start off controversially before the elect group of uber fine taste people gave in and let it into their circle. Remember when jazz and rock molested people's virgin ears? |
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Arete7 said: jal90 said: Arete7 said: If you start putting entertainment on the same level as "high art", this will of course result in reality tv shows being considered art, comedy being considered art, ect, ect. What the actual and holy fuck did I read. Unless you've been living under a rock, comedy visual entertainment have never been or will be considered art ever. A piece of art can comedy something, but comedy is not art. So I guess what Aristophanes did is not considered art. |
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