By Ralph Rudolph

What is art? At the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh (a much larger show than our own Arts & Crafts Festivals), one of the pieces of "art" entered consisted of an old shopping cart wrapped in burned plastic with a charred baby doll and a burned down candle inside. Most folks, I think, would be hard-pressed to consider that a piece of art. To me, whenever I see a piece of "art", the first question in my mind is always, "Would I display this in my house?" I think that's a valid viewpoint.

My wife Penny (a mystery writer: www.pennyrudolph.com) and I spend at least three weeks each year traveling to other countries. First on our list of "to do" activities is to visit every art gallery and museum in sight, plus a few of the touristy things. Paris, of course, with all of its galleries, is one of our favorites. We also visit galleries all over the USA, from NYC to Washington to LA to even Dallas and Birmingham. Our experience, sadly, is that after the impressionists, art evolved into the esoteric dreams of the loonies. I only have to open the MOMA catelog and flip into the later years, and wonder how a bicycle wheel mounted on a stool is considered "art". I have also seen huge canvases painted in a monotone color, and others covered with inane scribbles that were hailed as art. I can wonder exactly what the judges were smoking. Dear gods...

Art, of course, is not photography (which is not to say that some photography is not art). Art is what the artists sees within the subject or world, and often art brings to the fore the feelings behind what is depicted: from the horrors of war to the celebrations of champions or the dynamic forces of nature. It speaks to the soul, not to the eye.

Within our gallery, we have several artists whose works can often be considered "abstract". Bob Wirz is one, and his compositions are superb. Marcella Bushelle is another, and her work dazzles. My own work treads back and forth between realism and abstract according to my mood. What is your world of art? Perhaps it is Normal Rockwell illustrations, perhaps it is more. But as long as you enjoy it and as long as it brings special pleasure into your life, then it is art.

But that's my opinion. Others may differ.