What is Art?

When we were young, we were taught that the word "art" could only be used to describe the works of the likes of Picasso or Van Gogh. But as we grow older, we discovered that art could encompass anything, from a room filled with dirt to a ball of yarn. Call me old-fashioned, call me ignorant, but for some reason, my mind just can't seem to grasp the idea that colorful scribbles and blobs of paint that resemble my second-grade art projects could be considered art. So imagine my surprise when I heard about the phenomenon currently referred to as "food art."

Naturally, I originally mistook food art for the masterpieces created by the chefs who studied at culinary colleges around the world, such as Le Cordon Bleu or the Culinary Institute of America. I imagined pictures of dish after dish of scrumptious meals, sort of what the producers enjoy tempting the audience members with after episodes of major cook-off shows, such as Iron Chef and Top Chef. Little did I know how oh-so-wrong I was.

You would then think that food art would include pieces such as Andy Warhol's tribute to Campbell's soup cans, or the garnish that cooks like to finish off their dishes with as a decoration, but, once again, that is not the case. Eventually, a quick Google search told me that food art was in fact art made from food. Yes, food art can be as delectable as the food that famous chefs conjure up in their kitchens, but no, its status of "artwork" does not derive from its tasty goodness. Food art ranges from familiar items made from edible products, such as a pig carved from a single avocado and penguins formed from an eggplant, to lunch boxes in which the likeness of famous figures, products, games, etc. are duplicated through the use of various food items.

Some popular examples of food art include: sheep made out of cauliflower and olives, a nature scene in which the trees are replaced with broccoli, replicas of Nintendo controllers made of rice and seaweed, and a festive holiday scene in which a rice-based snowman is surrounded by veggie-based presents, sprinkled by rice-based snow. But that's not where the food art ends. There are so many more options — a replica of the characters from The Simpsons, in which all the faces are made from wheat breads and various assortments of deli cheeses, and a tribute to Legos made out of various cheeses, chocolates, and rice crackers. The possibilities are simply endless!

So let's recap: Exactly what constitutes art? At one point in time, portraits, busts and statues were the sole examples of art. Eventually, landscape paintings and photography were considered art as well. As time passed, the definition of what signifies art has greatly widened. Fashion, film and theater — the obviously art-inclined entertainment genres — are art. Music is art. Books are art. Television shows are art. A chalk-based life-like drawing on a public sidewalk is art. A documentary that features solely a man sleeping for seven hours is art. A woman crossing the street is art. Food is art — and in this particular case, art is food. Anything and everything seems to be art. So where is the line drawn? To be honest, in today's world of art, the line may never be drawn. All we can do is sit back and wait to see what great new "masterpiece" the art world decides to deign as "art." Art is art is art.