Midterm Response

Hannah Wilke made me think about the definition of art. Not her work itself in terms of subject matter but the nature of it. Her work "Gestures" is fairly simple. She distorts her face and makes obscene gestures and expressions in a critique of the way that society views women. I can understand and agree with the idea behind this piece and therefore appreciate the idea as artistic. However, the part that makes me reflect on my own definition of art is the fact that this film could be completely reproduced and honestly does not require any talent (I refer only to this one piece and not her work as a whole). Therefore, I was forced to question whether or not talent has to be a part of the equation that determines whether something is art or not. Kind of shook my definition of what art should be...