Advertisement, is it a form of art?
Art and advertising have a relationship of antagonism. And the media keeps asking: Can advertising be considered art? Treating this subject usually depends on a biased point of view. To examine what art and advertisement really are, one has to start with definitions.
What is Advertisement?
Encyclopedia Britannica states that “Advertisement, also called ad, a public announcement—generally print, audio, or video—made to promote a commodity, service…”. And it continues “… or idea through various media, including billboards, direct mail, print magazines and newspapers, radio, television, and the World Wide Web…”.
Wikipedia indicates, ” Advertising is an audio or visual form of marketing communication…to promote or sell a product, service or idea. And “…sponsors of advertising are often businesses who wish to promote their products or services…”
Oxford Dictionaries says that advertisement is, “A notice or announcement in a public medium promoting a product, service, or event or publicizing a job vacancy.
Merriam Webster calls it, ” a public notice; especially: one published in the press or broadcast over the air a full-page advertisement for the movie a TV advertisement….”
The definitions of art
Britannica states “…Art, also called (to distinguish it from other art forms) visual art, a visual object or experience consciously created through an expression of skill or imagination…”.
Cambridge Dictionary states: “the making or doing of something whose purpose is to bring pleasure to people “. And states how it is accomplished. “…through their enjoyment of what is beautiful and interesting, or things often made for this purpose, such as paintings, drawings, or sculptures”.
Wikipedia sees art as follows: “Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts (artworks)…”. And it continues “…expressing the author’s imaginative or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power”. These activities include the production of works of art, the criticism of art, the study of the history of art, and the aesthetic dissemination of art…”.
And Oxford Dictionaries indicates: “…the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture…”. Thus, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power…”.
Finally, Merriam Webster says that art is: “something that is created with imagination and skill…”. And, “… that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings”. Advertisement falls under this definition.
You can find additional definitions HERE
Purpose
Paraphrased from an article on “Beyond Madison Avenue”, …..Art can be created because it should be. Advertising, however, is always defined as a paid form of messaging. No one creates advertising for advertising’s sake. And, no one creates an ad or a campaign because society deserves to see it”.
Analysis
Encyclopedia Britannica – based on the definition, advertising is art since creating advertisement requires “skill” and “imagination”.
Cambridge dictionary – the purpose of an advertisement is to make money, and not necessarily to “bring pleasure to people“.
Wikipedia – advertisement can be considered art if we are to agree with the Wikipedia definition.
Oxford – in this definition we can find an indication that perhaps advertising cannot be considered as art. This is because the advertisement is created for commercial use and its’ purpose is to produce money for the advertiser, and not for the purpose of being “appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power”.
Another good article on this Blog, comparing Fine art versus Commercial art is HERE.
Conclusion
The conclusion is that this debate has no concise answer.
We can also observe that the word “art” does not appear in any of the “advertisement” definitions above.
That alone leads more in the direction of a NO answer to the question whether the advertisement is art. Furthermore, whether an advertisement is art depends solely on the point of view of the individual considering the subject. In my view, an advertisement can be considered “a form of art” but not “art“. And, it certainly can not be considered “Fine Art“. The featured image attached to this post exemplifies the subject. On the left is an original oil painting a.k.a, Art, while on the right is a digital composite of many works created as a form of Advertisement.
Some artists create art that may appear at first as fine art, but that is in reality very commercial in nature. Particularly if the artist produces Kitsch.
Suggested reading
“Advertising: Is It an Art, or Not?” – Dwayne W. Waite Jr., Beyond Madison Avenue.
“Is Advertising Art?” – Wendy Melillo on Adweek
