#37 October 28th (class assignment Conceptual Art Questions)

1. Why is the "viewer" an important element in conceptual art?

"Because the work does not take a traditional form it demands a more active response from the viewer, indeed it could be argued that the Conceptual work of art only truly exists in the viewer's mental participation."


2. Why was it so difficult for people to accept the "Fountain" by Duchamp, as art?

"Before Fountain, people had rarely been made to think what art actually was, or how it could be manifested; they had just assumed that art would be either a painting or a sculpture. But very few could see Fountain as a sculpture."

3. What question did Duchamp pose with his "readymades"? Explain using examples

"Could this urinal be an artwork? Imagine it as art!" "Try and imagine this reproduction of the Mona Lisa with a beard as an artwork, not just a defaced reproduction of an artwork, but a artwork in its own right."

4. Why was it difficult to categorize Conceptual art in the context of traditional art? Explain using examples.

traditional art: painting/drawing, sculpture. Conceptual art is not defined by a medium or style. Conceptual art is often a "readymade" or an "intervention/documentation". It is often an idea presented to the viewer, not as a solid fact, but as something each viewer and participant can take from in their own experiences.

5. Chose a quote from the article that you find interesting and explain. Be SURE to cite a page number.

"If a work of Conceptual art begins with the question 'What is art?', rather than a particular style or medium, one could argue that it is completed by the proposition 'This could be art': 'this' being presented as object, image, performance, or idea revealed in some other way. Conceptual art is therefore 'reflexive': the object refers back to the subject, as in the phrase 'I am thinking about how I think.' It represents a state of continual self-critique (pg 12).

What a mindf*ck right there. Alright, non art folks, read that and wrap your mind around it. So basically, the importance of conceptual art is that you do not give it an exact list of "this is what conceptual art is, always". As long as you keep questioning it, it can be considered conceptual.