Entertainment Vs. Art: Part 2

When last we saw our hero!

"What is art?

It is a question that has plagued many, because apparently they didn't want to look in the dictionary. Well, according to Mr. Webster, the definition of art is as follows:

That was what I wrote before discovering I couldn't copy the Webster's definition of "art" into my blog, and went to a bunch of different dictionaries, all with completely different definitions of art. Luckily, this fits well into my point.

Which will be declared tomorrow! Cliffhanger!"

And now the cliffhanger will be resolved.

What is art? Well, when most people hear that word, they think of paintings, drawings, and sculptures. Visual art. Man with an apple in front of his face and all that jazz.

A man with an apple in front of his face playing jazz.

But most of us know that art is more than that. A movie can be art, a book can be art, a song can be art. These are all things that people can make, and they can be art. But a chair (unless a very ornate chair) can't be art. A pencil can't be art. Those are things that are made to serve a function. They're not beautiful. They're just there. Except the very ornate chair. So perhaps the definition of art is "something made by humans that doesn't really serve any purpose but is enjoyably observed."

"Something made by humans that doesn't really serve any purpose but is enjoyably observed?" There's a word for that. It's called entertainment. And entertainment and art are definitely not the same thing. Yes, a movie can be entertainment, a book, can be entertainment, and a song can be entertainment. For example, I find the TV show Family Guy quite hilarious, and I enjoy watching it, but when I'm done, that's it. No lesson learned, no imagery still in my head, no lasting experience, no real value to my life. And I think that's the real dividing line between entertainment and art. Value. Entertainment makes you happy. Art makes you glad. Glad to have experienced art. In my opinion, the real definition of art is a quotation from Steve Jobs. He was a man who created countless works of art during his life.

Works of art that play Angry Birds.

Yes, these objects that we use in our day to day lives are works of art, just as that very ornate chair I mentioned earlier was art. Steve Jobs understood what art was. He understood that art was magical, and that the things people were doing with the art he created were magical. And so, in December 2011, in the last words he ever said to another person, he summed up what art is about. Steve Jobs's last words were "Oh. Wow."

Sometimes art and entertainment are mixed. Take the song "Stan" by Eminem, which I have been listening to a lot recently. This is a sad, sad song. It's entertaining, but in a strange sort of way, the kind of way where you want to keep listening just to hear where the story is going, and it's designed in a genius sort of way that will keep you thinking about long after you stop listening. (This song is hard to explain, but what I just said will make sense if you listen to it, which I strongly recommend. There is some profanity, but it is central to the song, so don't watch the official Youtube video, as quite a lot is censored.) This from the guy whose song "Just Lose It" includes the lyrics "Everyone report to the dance floor. Alright, stop. Pajama time."

The future million-selling rapper, with his birthday cake and favorite pink Alf shirt.

"Stan" is an example of entertainment and art mixed together excellently. It can happen, you know. Sometimes all entertainment needs to do to cross the gap is be very, very good. The film Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a silly comedy about swallows, and coconuts, and medieval knights being - Spoiler Alert!
arrested by modern-day British police.
Spoiler Alert Over!
Still, the writing is so good that it's a work of art, and it will  be remembered by future generations.

This blog's title may be a disappointment to some who came to see a brutal wrestling match between two people whose names happen to be Entertainment and Art. But "Entertainment Vs. Art" is an interesting question. I think the answer is both. Art is great, as I've said throughout this word-ridden article (as opposed to an article not full of words), but entertainment is necessary. Without it, humanity would be just one long, boring slog through existence, with no meaning.

Boom. I just figured out the meaning of life: don't be bored, always fill the lives of you and everyone around you with entertainment and art. Live a happy existence.

Just kidding, it's 42.