What is Art?

Good question, many answers. For centuries the question has been pondered and therefore has evolved with time. However, there are some definitions that can hold true through time.


For this I look to Friedrich Nietzsche, who so happens to be one of my favorite philosophers (an odd thing to say, but I fell in love with him when I read the quote "He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee").


He has two quotes on the subject of art that I find appealing for answering the question:


"We have art so that we may not perish by the truth."

So in a way, he says that art is our protector from truth. But what's so abhorrent about the truth that we need the armor of creativity? In this I think he says that art is a form of escapism that allows us to escape from something harsh. We need these moments, in my opinion, to stay sane when the world is constantly trying to bring you down. 

"Art is not merely an imitation of the reality of nature, but in truth a metaphysical supplement to the reality of nature, placed alongside thereof for its conquest."

With this, we find an elaboration to the first quote. Art complements nature (or life) so that we may conquer it. So now, not only is art the armor, but the weapon so that we may protect ourselves from the harsh reality of what we may be dealt. Art is the crusade, the knight of escapism that grants us relief from the mundane and cruel hands of nature.