What is Art: A Practicing Artist’s Personal Philosophy of Art.

(Ai was not used in the writing of this blog-post, although I do enjoy the use ai technology)

Visual Artist Dariana Arias in front of her artwork "La Lucha", 60" x 48" x 1.5", 2015. Miami, Florida; August 2025.

If you’ve ever been curious enough to research the meaning of Art, then you’ll know that the concept itself, resists definition. This is a historical conundrum involving art historians and aesthetic philosophers; everyone in academia and the artworld engages in debate about this question: What is Art? And although the answer is elusive, for the sake of scholarly structure and collective satisfaction, we have Merriam-Webster, Brittannica, and Cambridge, providing us with our daily bread and butter, so to speak.

This blog-post is not aimed at providing you with an academically-constructed meaning of Art, nor a precise definition of it, but rather, my own personal understanding of what Art is, as informed by my own experience. Therefore, the logical sequence to my previous blogs, seems to be the topic of the definition of Art, since it will help you to grasp the underlying ideas behind my creations.

And so the question begs to be asked: What Is Art?

For me, as a practicing artist, Art is a personal experience… It is the unravelling of self-liberation and self-awareness, manifested through visual expression and sensorial experiences. It is the poetic vision of everyday life, and you get a glimpse of it when you are open to it:

Art is the sight of a double rainbow after the storm; the urban stroll that  Amélie Poulain takes with the blind man through the streets of Paris; Natalia Osipova performing the Dying Swam…

Nature as Art, according to the artist. Photo: Dariana Arias; double rainbow above the Malcolm X Park, Washington DC.

Art is embedded within the melancholic beauty of Porz Goret, and the landscape that evokes a warm serenity…

The visual representation of Art. Title: Choroni, Venezuela; acrylic on canvas, 36" x48" x 1.3/8", 2025. Dariana Arias.

Art, is the timeless wisdom of Kahlil Gibran’s words:

“It happened thus: One day, long before many gods were born, I woke from a deep sleep and found all my masks were stolen, -- I ran maskless through the crowded streets shouting, “Thieves, thieves, the cursed thieves… For the first time the sun kissed my own naked face and my soul was inflamed with love for the sun, and I wanted my masks no more. And as if in a trance I cried, “Blessed, blessed are the thieves who stole my masks.”

And thus, my own personal experience leads me to assert that Art, is the communion between the Ordinary and the Divine which beautifies existence, visually and otherwise.

Art-making in my studio is a time of self-discipline and self-awareness; I become entuned with my creative self, and my focus becomes keen. This artistic process allows me to express abstract ideas that at times, words fall short to describe. It is during this time, when my acute focus encounters my creative self, that the visual representation of abstract ideas is born. At times, the visual manifestations of those ideas (embedded in my paintings), represent universal experiences; and I hope such artworks serve as a connecting bridge between myself and others.

Visual Artist Dariana Arias in front of her artwork "La Lucha", 60" x 48" x 1.5", 2015. Miami, Florida; August 2025.

As I move forward in my artistic practice, my view on Art seems to become more fluid and ever changing. At this point in my career, I conceive Art not only as the material manifestation of creativity, but also as the primal cognitive function serving as the foundation for visual language. Art (especially visual), at any given moment in time, might serve as a metric to measure the evolution of human cognitive function as expressed iconographically.

Simply put, Art is the communion between the Ordinary and the Divine, a union which beautifies existence, visually and otherwise!

How about you? What do you think about this topic? What’s your idea or concept of Art?

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Thanks for reading, and for your interest in my art practice. I hope this blog on “What is Art” gives you more insight into my art practice.

Feel free to share your own definition of Art, in the comment section below. I envision this blog to be an online space, where creative-minded individuals can share ideas, inspiration and motivation.