Awards don’t define artists

When I took 20th century music history, we learned about a ground breaking composition entitled “ 4’33’’ “ by John Cage.

The interesting thing about this piece of music is that it is composed of four minutes and thirty-three seconds of a person sitting silently at a piano. It’s complete silence that the world of academia has felt noteworthy enough for students of music around the world to learn about.

When I took a 20th century humanities class, we learned about Fountain, a 1917 work of art attributed to Marcel Dushamp. What was this great piece of art exactly? A urinal that was put on display as a piece of art, and who’s to say it isn’t? Both of these pieces blew the lid off of societies expectation of what “art” is.

I know it’s been a while since the infamous Beck vs. Yeezus moment at the Grammys this year, but I think the reaction from the public has brought up some interesting discussions.

First off I have to disclose, I’m not a huge Beck fan. I like a couple of his songs, but for the most part I find his music to be bland and boring. It’s just not my style.

That’s not to say he is not an artist or not talented, it’s just not my style. That’s also not to say Beyoncé  isn’t an artist because she’s not exactly like Beck.

After Kanye West’s statements, many people came out with a list of reasons why Beck is a better or more worthy artist than Beyoncé; one reason being that he played all his own instruments and wrote all the tracks himself. Yes, this is impressive, but I would be hesitant to say that makes his work inherently better or more artistic than a collaborative musical experience. Duke Ellington, one of the most prolific American composers had a partner, Billy Strayhorn, who he worked with on most of his compositions. Most of the time, in live performance, whether it’s a symphony or a rock band, music is a collaborative experience. Arguing that individual effort creates “better” or more “worthy” art than collaborative work is arguable on a case-by-case basis.

I’ve heard the argument that Beck plays twelve instruments and Beyoncé plays none. I will say it is impressive, but who is that say someone who plays six instruments is less of an artist than Beck, based on sheer numbers. Or that someone who plays one instrument at a far higher skill level than Beck is still less of an artist.  And also, let’s not forget to give some credit to vocalists, after all, their voice is their “instrument.”    

In the end, we can all make our own opinions about art and recognize that they are just that: opinions. Kanye West and the Grammys don’t determine what music is meaningful to you as art. Listen to what you like and don’t let others dictate what is and isn’t art. I’m not going to convince you that Beck is any less of an artist. He is, whether I personally like his music or not.

I’m only trying to say that if four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence and a urinal are ground breaking enough pieces of art for us to learn about in college, Beyoncé and Beck are both artists.They just use different palettes.