Art or Business

There have been many changes in the field of art in the past hundreds of years. One of these changes strikes me as being very different from most of the normal new trends and styles that come in the art world. This change has to do with the purpose of having art. Most artists take long periods of time to create their pieces and use much creativity to construct there masterpieces. In recent times the business aspect of art is starting to come out in some artists. One could argue that Damien Hurst may be more of a business man than an artist. This all comes from a recent piece of his entitled, “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living”. This conceptual piece of work was created by purchasing a shark and preserving it in a tank to be viewed by guests of museums. Professionals were hired by Hurst to use techniques such as the use of formaldehyde to ensure that the shark will not rot out. Is this art? Who is the real artist? One may think that nature itself that created the shark may be most responsible for its natural beauty or was it the professionals whose job was to preserve the animal the real creator of this piece. None the less, millions of dollars later the shark has become a piece of art and it is Hurst who is reaping the benefits.
“Shark” allows the viewer to get a unique up and close experience with what very little people have seen in reality. The beauty of the fish is truly amazing and gets people to think about life and this is what makes this piece truly amazing.