Many of our deepest ideas about art are rooted in beliefs and assumptions we have not really thought about very much; someone told us what art was when we were a kid, and showed us some art, and for most people there has seldom been any further reason to think about what art is, why it is, and who gets to decide what it is.

Nevertheless it is often the case that our beliefs and assumptions about art are vague, contradictory, and difficult to articulate. And when we do articulate these ideas, we sometimes discover that we don't really believe in them all that strongly after all. This realization prompts new thinking (or at least it can).

So, that is part of what this assignment is about.

It is also about the fact that during the 20th century there were huge ruptures in the ways people think about and do art -- ruptures that, of course, had global political counterparts (two World Wars, for instance). In the Western world, during the 1950s and 1960s especially, the very nature of art, and the concept of art changed dramatically.

For now, I want you to write substantive short answers (250 words or so, to the following questions. Just number your short answers 1, 2, 3 ...
Do not re-write the questions in your responses.

The questions:
1. How can you tell if something is a work of art?
2. Can something that did not used to be art (or that was not made to be art) become art at a later time? If you say "no" explain why not. If you say "yes" explain how it could happen. If you say "it depends" or "I'm not sure" explain what you mean.
3. If there is such a thing as "good art" explain what can make art good. If there is no such thing as "good art" explain why not.

Many of our deepest ideas about art are rooted in beliefs and assum...