I thought I would use these two images I used in another class to talk about the idea of that is built upon: art that is built upon other works of art. We mostly think of this with music, and songs that are remixes of other songs, but it's a concept that exists in all areas of art. We tend to look down on things that are obviously built on other works, like remixes, thinking that it doesn't take much skill or effort to create something so closely linked to another piece. However, no art really comes from a truly original concept; in one way or another, everything is built upon past ideas or methods. That doesn't mean they didn't take any skill to create, it just means that they borrowed ideas to create something wonderful. With this in mind, we should recognize that all art takes skill to create and should judge each thing separately on its own merits, recognizing that it may have borrowed elements from other works but is its own piece and should be looked on as such.

This picture I took of the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum made me think about how some art is so respected and known for hundreds or even thousands of years, while so much art that is created never gets noticed. In this case, the original location of these sculptures and their travels have helped make them famous, but the age and incredible skill and detail that went into all of them are the real reason why. They were very impressive to see in person.

I like this picture because it's a quote from Oscar Wilde that I think is very true: art is, in and of itself, useless. It gains its value from the way that each person views it. A piece of art has to speak to some part of our experience in order for us to appreciate it. A painting might depict a scene that takes someone back to a happy place in their life, or a song might have some lyrics that deal with an emotional issue that the listener can identify with. Even though these are both negative and positive emotions, they are powerful and make a person relate to the art that is inspiring those feelings. This is how art gains its value; without a person attaching some personal emotion to the art, it has none.