Carter Ratcliff | art and the Trump era

The most important element is the gut punch. Art critic, Carter Ratcliff, recently defined art as something that communicates “inexhaustible meaning.” (Check out his brilliant lecture about art and the Trump era.) His definition is a little narrow for me—I think only masterpieces communicate inexhaustible meaning. My definition of art is more inclusive; it has to communicate something profound, but I love his distinction between art and “non-art.” If a photo is just cool or aesthetically pleasing, then it’s non-art for sure. For instance, a photo of a beautiful sunset is just a beautiful photo (aka non-art). Trevor Paglen’s photo of a beautiful sunset, with a deadly Reaper Drone hiding in its depths, is art. via