Art vs not art

Mondo Cane Kama Sutra (1984)

I remember few years ago I wrote a critical analysis and research essay on interpretation of Modern Art by art critics John Berger and Susan Sontag, and as a case study I researched a set of acrylic paintings by group of Canadian pop artists called The General Idea. The set paintings are displayed in the contemporary gallery at AGO marked as Mondo Cane Kama Sutra (1984), and include images of dogs, triad of poodles in particular, explicitly making love to each other in different poses. In the essay I wrote about how the interpretation and critiquing of the works help to establish fame and glory for it and eventually define it as a work of art. Later on, this view helped me to differentiate between art and design or art and crafts. And this wasn't very easy for me, as there are designs that could easily become a work of art and there are works of art that could be used in designed environments. So nothing is set in black and white in modern design theory - that could always be something in the middle for definitions of art and design.

Marcel Duchamp (R. Mutt) - Fountain (original 1917, replica 1964)

So what is it that makes a work of art a work of art, especially in modern art. At first I was very critical about General Idea's Poodle Kama Sutra - I mean it's just bunch of colourful pictures of bunch of poodle dogs fucking each other - what's the big deal - who are this self proclaimed artists that displayed their self-proclaimed 'artworks' in an art museum. And not realizing it, I actually helped to make it into an actual artwork - it was displayed, I saw it, thought about what is so special about it, why is it an artwork, what is the meaning of it, what is so special about it, and then I started to criticize it. Display, thought, talk and critique -I think when all this conditions are met the work will become an art piece. Also once you start to think about what is that makes it into an art piece - you also think about it in general - what is it that makes anything into an art work. And this generalization backfires into the specific art piece itself - it puts a hint of humour and mockery in the piece. The art-work mocks the whole concept or institution. And this is what exactly French artist Marcel Duchamp meant to do in his Fountain (original 197, replica 1964), which was pretty much a urinal put on its side and 'R. Mutt' written on it. Duchamp broke all the stereotypes of art and made people think what is art and what is not. Duchamp inspired by Dada movement conveyed absurdity to shock and assault the traditions and preconceptions of art and design. Duchamp inspired the freedom in art and this freedom correlated to other freedoms gained in social aspects in later years in 20th century - freedom for women, freedom for races, freedom of speech, freedom of sex and freedom of lifestyle. This is why Duchamp's Fountain is regarded as the most influential work of modern art by some modern art critics. Duchamp influenced the freedom in Pop art also, artists such as Andy Warhol and group called the General Idea took on different media to break any taboos in art and convey absolute freedom in the content and in the type of media.

References
Jury Louise (2004, December 02). 'Fountain' most influential piece of modern art. Retrieved from The Independent:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/fountain-most-influential-piece-of-modern-art-6156702.html
Stakemeier Kerstin (2013, September 23). General Idea's "P is for Poodle"
http://www.art-agenda.com/reviews/general-idea%E2%80%99s-p-is-for-poodle/
Images
Mondo Cane Kama Sutra (installation view) (1984). Retrieved from
http://www.artoronto.ca/?p=4335
Marcel Duchamp (R. Mutt) - Fountain (original 1917, replica 1964)
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/duchamp-fountain-t07573