Art and entertainment

The discussion what is art and what is entertainment has become quite common. Another relating topic is – do artists entertain, or do entertainers create art? The most common answer to these questions is, yes. Artists certainly create art, but art is also done for entertainment, and everything that was created by entertainers has a certain degree of artistic merit. If we go to a museum, we will see wonderful paintings and sculptures which are certainly more artistic than graffiti on the walls in the street. In a museum, we expect that we will be exposed to a certain level of art, and at the same tame, we will experience a certain level of entertainment. Whether something is artistic or not, simply depends on the opinion a person has, and this opinion is no less valuable than any other. Of course, there must be some objective attributes of art that make it art like using metaphors, symbolism, and plot devices, and similarly, entertainment has features that make it entertainment. Black Swan by Aronofsky is probably more artistic than, say, the Twilight vampire saga, but the latter one would be probably more entertaining for the common audience. Another question is, which one is better? That is again a matter of opinion. If we focus on literature, a classic novel by Hardy is generally considered more artistic than a romantic story by Danielle Steel. This comparison offers an idea that art is more superior to entertainment, but this is not true. All creations have aspects of both, although to different degrees, and comparing them would be unfair, because they serve different purposes. Many people do not want to read, watch, or listen to anything artistic, while others derive their entertainment from enjoying something artistic. Some people want to consume without thinking about it, overlooking details and values that are considered artistic. People simply enjoy things in different ways. From the first paragraph, we can conclude that everything is artistic and entertaining at some level. It was created to make us more cultural people, despite the amount of money spent or effort invested; it is whatever we find important or whatever makes us happy. It is often said that entertainment is for people who after they get home from work, lie down on the sofa and get their minds off things. Art, on the other hand, is more for someone who wants to get their mind engaged and stimulated. We cannot go to see Rambo III for art, unless we are stupid. Wanting to get a jolt of adrenaline, let’s go to watch a road movie or thriller. By contrast, good art usually demands our patience and slowing down. David Cronenberg, a contemporary famous film director, said something very truthful: “Entertainment tries to give you what you want – a movie, pop-corn, and ice-cream. Art wants to give you what you don’t know you want.” Therefore, art is for example, when you see a performance, painting, or movie you planned to see, and then you sit and think about it or discuss it, and cannot you get it from your head. Another difference is that entertainment tries to hold you by all means, whether art does not care when it loses your attention. If you are lost, or not able to follow, that is your problem. Entertainment also keeps you on your level, while art assumes you are already at a high level and wants to take you higher. Entertainment wants you to think that you are thinking, but leads you to a chosen conclusion. Art makes you think and allows you to come up with your own subjective conclusion. Good entertainment often is not artistic, but good art often is entertaining. If entertainment is boring, it is a waste of money to see it, if the art is boring, maybe you should see it again, discuss it, or read more about it. From the arguments above, we can conclude that art is superior. But what can be called art? From many definitions we can assume that art is an aesthetically pleasing and meaningful arrangement of words, sounds, colors, and shapes. It could be amended by “for those who are willing to rise to it, for all gender, races, sexes, religions, at any time, and at any place. Sometimes it does not reach an audience until decades or even centuries later. Art is about expressing one’s personal inner state or vision of the world. The thrill of art is in making new connections and discovering new corners of yourself. Art also often tends to be “less is more“. Art that tries to be art is usually bad art. Art outlives us as well as its creator. And it shall be like this because people come and go, as do trends and theories about art, but art lives forever. After dealing with art, we should now try to define entertainment. Oscar Wilde said: “Yes, the public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives you everything except genius.” It could mean that we are not able to recognize real genius art, and also that we are able to admire absolute garbage. What is entertaining is as subjective as the previous concept of what art is. Perhaps, entertainment is something that takes us into another world, whereas art takes us deeper into ourselves. Entertainment is prevailingly about mass appeal, about some good well told stories that get our blood going fast, make us laugh, and increase our adrenaline. Evidently, our responses are mainly physical concerning our bodies and sometimes our hearts. Art does it to our minds and souls. Entertainment dazzles us and makes us feel again like children, while art usually assumes that we are mature and treats us accordingly. Asking which is better is senseless. Both require formidable skills. Entertainment dominates the world, although most attempts to make great mass appeal entertainment have failed, and making art is not easy either. For example Altman’s film Short cuts, based on Raymond Carver short stories that was meant to be as artistic as the muster, has failed, but still, it is worthwhile to see and compare with the book. In conclusion, art can be entertaining and entertainment can also be artistic. Some achievements seem not to fit comfortably into these categories, they can be both. Generally if a work of art upsets or bores you and you never want to see it again, wait a while to try it again. It may surprise you. And if a piece of entertainment has the same bad effect, it is not going to improve with age.