The Deep End by Jake Fried -- When Art is Not Beautiful

The Deep End from Jake Fried on Vimeo, via Colossal.

Fried's surreal videos -- there are several more compelling ones, all very short, at his Vimeo page -- are not beautiful in any traditional sense (one might say their idea or craftsmanship or emotionally invasive nature is a type of beauty, but that is nontraditional), yet they are, I think, what most people would understand as "art." They are intended as visual/aural works of expression and feeling, made with great skill towards their ends. That is to say, then, that all works of "art" need not portray "beauty" or be representational -- something that I, wishfully, could go without saying, though it often needs repeating. So, too, whether one "likes" art is often the wrong question (though I in fact like these videos) because the work is not intended to be "liked"; it is intended to convey a feeling or idea.

(And let me note, it is a mistake to speak of words such as "art" or "beauty" as if they have some sort of  intrinsic meaning. As words they can have a generally understood meaning or set of meanings -- which arises from use -- or they can have specific meanings ascribed to them by the utterer or observer. When one asks, for example, "is it art?" the question has meaning in the senses of (a) does it fit within a generally understood definition or use of the word "art", (b) does it fit within what you understand to be "art," or (c) does it fit within what I have said I understand to be "art." Asking whether it is "art" in some broad inchoate sense outside of the above is nonsensical. Sadly, this is how questions such as "is it art?" are often understood, leading to inane disagreements and discussions.  See also this prior post.)