WK 4 Assignment: Memes are a form of Art

Like the title says, “Memes are a form of Art”. Art is derived from creativity and it exists all around us. Everything we look at can be considered art depending on the context. I am currently typing this out and thinking to myself that this blog post is another form of Art. Art can be beautiful, sad, happy, confusing, or funny. All of these aspects exists within memes and I would describe memes as the digital version of Art.

The one quote that stood out to me when searching on the web “Are memes art?” is “Art is constantly evolving, but if the purpose of art is to express human truth, the Internet meme fits the bill.” The quote makes sense and relates to my opinion that memes are truly art. Memes are a form of art that exists within the internet and it’s also gaining more publicity due to the evolution the world has transitioned into. Art such as paintings and pictures give the same feeling that a meme would give depending on what it is. A benefit to memes is also that it’s on the internet and can be easily shared amongst friends and family.

In Kate Knibbs’s “Are memes the pop culture art of our era“, she brings up an interesting point that I did not think of. She mentions the importance of memes and bringing them into mainstream art. She then uses the example of Grumpy Cat and how the meme was brought to real life and inspired 30 studio Artists to create themed artwork of it. I never thought about the fact that memes can also be brought to life and in mainstream art. This is another example on why Memes should be considered art. Artists are now creating galleries of memes in real life to showcase to their audience and it is a fascinating thing to think about. This ultimately means that anyone can  possibly have their memes be on display in real life.

In the video “Are LOLCats and Internet Memes Art” the Youtuber discusses how memes are indeed Art by relating it to quotes that historians have said. Such as Leo Tolstoy who says “To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movement, lines, colors, sounds or forms expressed in words so to transmit that feeling that others experience the same feeling.” with the closing quote from the Youtuber that says “this is the activity of art”. Pretty much what this all means is Tolstoy was ahead of his time and defined memes to be art by expressing one’s personal feelings and others being able to express the same feelings. That’s what memes do and continue to be doing nowadays. In fact, the world seems to be transitioning more into memes and gifs a opposed to the natural art format of pictures and paintings.

Another video I found worth watching on YouTube is titled “Memes: Art of the Internet Age” where it goes over the history of art and memes and discusses whether or not Memes are a form of art.

1 thought on “WK 4 Assignment: Memes are a form of Art”

  1. Good Work!
    Enjoying the narrative and examples used in your post. Good use of images, hyperlinks and video for context! This format helps the reader easily receive your communication while learning at the same time! Will you be making more meems?

Comments are closed.