The structure shown above is called the “Watts Tower” located in Los Angeles. This humongous structure was constructed by an individual named Simon Rodia. As mentioned in the video lecture, Simon was an “untrained artist” and he had to fight with the state over displaying his creation in public.
While listening to his story I came to question what makes an individual an artist? More specifically what differentiates a trained and an untrained artist? Who gives the validation and on which grounds can someone categorize artists?
I believe anyone can be an artist. I also believe any creation could be an art piece whether it is visually pleasing or not. For example, I do not find Jackson Pollock’s painting ‘visually appealing’ while it is one of the most acclaimed art work of the past century. Just because I do not find his work beautiful does not mean it is not an art work. I believe the same logic should be applied to any kind of artists; young, old, professional or amateur.
In the end of the day, I want to see more people freely expressing themselves through whatever medium that they choose, and become an “artist”.