Que fait cet art ?

On a recent trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art my companion encountered, for the first time, the works of Marcel Duchamp. In particular, "Fountain" and "Bicycle Wheel." "This is an insult to my intelligence!" was his reaction. "What make this art? This is bullshit."

This, I'm sure, was precisely Duchamp's intent. To provoke thought. To make the viewer question the very notion of art itself. What does make something art?

Warhol's work can be seen along the same lines. He took items we see every day and elevated them to the status of art.

He repeated the question upon encountering a sculpture consisting of a string of lightbulbs laid out seemingly at random. The piece was titled after a location in Paris. "What makes this art?"

Well... What if instead, the artist had masterfully reproduced for us the complete Parisian scene in oils. Certainly that would be art, no?

Now, what if that scene was instead photographed. This time focusing more on the lights against the night sky? There is skill, creativity, and composition involved in the taking of a photograph. Still art, right?

A sculpture of a single lightbulb? Art.

But this? How can this possibly be art? Again, the artist is trying to make you think, to evoke a response, a memory, an emotion. Perhaps seeing these lights triggers a memory of a Parisian cafe on a sultry summer's eve.

What medium best captures the subject? Can you feel the warmth of the light from a painting? Could a sculpture cast a luminous glow? Can you hear the buzz of electricity eminating from a photo?

The artist has removed a layer separating the viewer from the subject. The medium is the object itself.