Smoking pipes: "art"?
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Doesn't matter. For me it's something I do, not a hobby, but perhaps habit is the right term. There could be a bit of artistry in the overall deal- tobacco choice, prep and smoking.
I do not think preparing a pipe or smoking a pipe is an art. There might be a meditative aspect to it but not an art. To me an art is creating something. Making a pipe would be an art. Maybe blending tobaccos could be an art.
Some here take it to the level of OCD. Others simply enjoy their pipes as an adjunct to their live. Some even accord mystical properties to the pipe. For others it is an affectation. Then there are more than a few of us who acknowledge the pipe to be a grand way to feed our nicotine addiction. But, art? I think not!
I too personally don't think of it as art. Anyone can think the way they want, but it seems that the way of thinking about it among Brazilian cigar and pipe smokers include acquiring some type of status by taking it as an art and enhancement in "culture". By adopting a habit that feels somewhat foreign (pipesmoking is growing) and taking it seriously. I've never bothered though, just an analysis of what I've witnessed. There seems to be a social and historical background behind that. Ours is a culture with a need to feel superior through social upgrade and I can understand that feeling.
I can certainly say that the creation of a pipe, especially the hand shaping of a pipe to be art, in my opinion. But "the art of pipe smoking," is simply a figure of speech. It's a learned skill, certainly, but not really art.
Yes. Big disconnect when "art", "artistic", "work of art" and "artist" are used interchangeably. A pipe can be a work of art, but not necessarily. It can be made by an artist, but not necessarily. And so on and so forth and scooby dooby do...
I would say anything may be done artfully (that is, with exceptional skill and gracefulness), but that does not mean any occupation is an art in and of itself.
Ever seen an expert split firewood? It's incredible to watch someone inspect a piece of wood, line it up on the block, and split it cleanly with one stroke of an axe. Maybe even beautiful. But that doesn't make splitting kindling an art, per se.
Ever seen an expert split firewood? It's incredible to watch someone inspect a piece of wood, line it up on the block, and split it cleanly with one stroke of an axe. Maybe even beautiful. But that doesn't make splitting kindling an art, per se.
Producing a pipe from a piece of wood is a art. I don't see smoking a pipe as a art. It's just something relaxing to do.
Dan
Dan
Art can be applied to activities that aren't inherently producing art. I've watched guys laying concrete driveways that are definitely at the art level, though the driveway isn't experienced as art, just a well done driveway. Cooking is first of all preparing food to eat but often verges into or embodies art itself. Getting along with family is definitely art, though you'll never see it in a frame or on a pedestal or presented in an orchestra hall. Various graceful animals and some people are living art.
Art is related to the words artificial, artifice. It originally meant something which reproduced reality, such as a painting of a person. After the 19th century the meaning changed. Because of photography, painting was no longer expected to represent reality. The word art came to mean something which satisfied an inner need, of both the artist and the viewer. I have trouble seeing well laid cement as art, but in the trump era, words no longer have meaning. Say anything, call something anything; nobody will believe you. It seems we are experiencing a breakdown of verbal communication. So if you want to call your fart art, it is OK.
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