What is Art

Gustave Courbet's "L'Origine du monde" ("The Origin of the World") (1866) may still cause waves by tripping up rather puritanical social media censors, but did you know it's anatomically incorrect? Artist Betty Tompkins, who is no stranger to painting genitals, was the first one to point out the problems with the image to Hyperallergic readers back in 2014, when she explained there is no clitoris or outer labia in the image. The artist, it appears, took the easy way out and covered up his ignorance with a large bush of public hair. It makes me wonder what his sex life might have been like if he overlooked such an obvious anatomical reality. (image via Wikipedia). In the late 1950s, a young, aspiring artist went rooting through the trash of Paris, scavenging paint cans, wooden boxes, and wine bottles. He painted them, then wrapped them in canvas and string or packaged them in scruffy, custom-made cardboard boxes. Decades later, when this artist went b…

Scroll To See More ImagesIf there's one thing any home—be it a small studio apartment or a six-bedroom house—can use more of, it's wall art. Frankly, too many people leave their walls bare or only hang up a few old photos, and we're tired of it. That isn't to say that having family photos on your walls is an issue, but why not add in a few new affordable art prints along with the memorabilia? Just because you have someone else's art hanging on your walls doesn't mean you need to become a gallery all of the sudden. Wall art simply helps create a unique and homey vibe in any space—which is why you can never have too much of it.Of course, there are so many different kinds of wall art and art prints out there. These days, one of the most popular styles is minimalist line art. Bodies or other images drawn with just a few lines—usually in black and white—are all over social media. For some, this is the perfect way to decorate a home. For others, though, a more maxima…