To Be Published

This is photo of a mural painted on the side of a building in NYC. There are two pieces of art to be discussed here. First, there is the mural itself. Although the author is unknown to me and there is no visible tag, I believe it is signed. The artist has painted a city street with flags of different countries. The flags are stratigically placed possibly demonstrating the diversity and harmony of different cultures living together in one area.

The second form of art is the photo itself. It is a photo of a boy at recess in the schoolyard. It was taken just at the end of the school year and it was unseasonably hot for that time of year in NYC. The boy's teacher is shouting to him that recess has ended and it is time to go back inside, but the boy wants just one more minute. Without that description, the viewer can see that it is sunny and possibly warm. The buildings, cement, and fencing are characteristics of city life. The rest, only the author could tell.

Even though I would produce both pieces, I do not think they would be considered art in other circles. Part of me thinks Bourdieu would consider this art because it is a representation of society at that time (and someone probably got paid to do it). The mural depicts cultural diversity and the tentions of that diversity. It has also been placed there stratigically (like a billboard) so it serves a purpose other than something to look at. It makes a statement about life in Hell's Kitchen. The other part of me thinks that Bourdieu would say that only higher classes decide what is art. The artist used materials that were available to him/her (the wall) which would probably be considered defacing property to those of a higher class. For me, the photo represents summer. For a higher class, it probably represents poverty. It is that class that determines what is art. Therefore, I could not be a determiner of what is considered art.