Our discussion of what art truly is really got me thinking about something I saw during a recent trip to Chicago. Pictured is what is known as the “Cloud Gate” (but more commonly, “The Bean”). It is a giant sculpture in the middle of Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. But is this bean truly art?
It is highly reflective, reflecting the beautiful Chicago skyline. But what if the bean reflected something ugly instead, like a run-down neighborhood, or a war zone? Would it still be considered a beautiful work of art? If someone makes a mirror, and a gorgeous supermodel steps in front of it, does the creator have the right to call his mirror “scenic”?
Considering the bean’s central location, anyone can come up to it and touch it. There are fingerprints all over that thing. But when we thing of a classical work in a museum, touching a piece there might get you thrown out. If the bean were in a museum and people were restricted from touching it, would it also be considered art?
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