The criteria for what we call art is fluid and ever-changing. While artwork of the past influences how we view and absorb new work, in the end, each work needs to be considered on its own. For example, not every painting is art although many are. Most chairs are not art although a chair could be. In an examination of widely accepted and championed works dating back to at least the renaissance, one will notice that great work has always integrated the materials and method of creation into the work’s conceptual underpinning. In art, as it turns out, it is not just what you say but how you say it that makes all the difference. The innovation of technique and material is the key avenue towards allowing us to see the world in a new way. Leonardo DaVinci did this in his development of sfumato technique with oil paints. Jackson Pollock reinvigorated painting by changing the way he applied paint to a canvas. Andy Goldsworthy uses found natural materials such as leaves, twigs, and stone to create magical ephemeral sculpture. In each of these examples, of which there are many more, the artist has used materials in a new way in order to say something profound. While these works could have been created through other means, they owe their power to the novel way the materials communicate to the viewer. Art cannot rely on concept alone. As thinkers we seek out ideas but as viewers we need the physical quality of a work to be engaging. The importance of how an idea is delivered must not be underplayed. Concept and construction must be seamlessly woven together. The medium is not the vehicle for a message it is the message.
