What is art from an engineers point of view

[fraserjim]

can anyone explain paying thousands for a splash of paint on a bit of paper compared to the manufacture of a simple thing like a ballpoint pen for example do any artists take time to study an object like this in detail

[geofbob]

I'm afraid it isn't very clear what you're asking here. But to take your last point - yes, many artists since the Pop Art movement of the 1960s (of which Andy Warhol was a leading member) have based their work on everyday objects. One general aim of such artists is to get us to look more closely at familiar objects, and to recognise - as you yourself seem to have recognised - that they are worthy of our attention. Another aim is to present both the positive and negative aspects of the consumerist world in which we increasingly live. For more on Pop Art, see http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/p/popart.html

[anthomson]

I think you are maybe considering 'quality'. A biro is often quoted as a quality piece of engineering - it is cheap to manfacture, does it job perfectly and is simple to use. Do we have a similar concept of quality in art ? - of course but it is much harder to define. You know when you have read a quality piece of literature or viewed a quality painting but may not be sure why it is such. Try reading 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' by Robert M Pirzig. This book tries to define the similarities of quality in art and engineering.

[Jenny Tools]

of course artists take time to study the object their painting in detail first, just look at Leonardo da Vinci's study of human anatomy for example.

[treaclefight]

as the daughter of an artist and an engineer, this question amused me. after studying philosophy i've settled with the notion that anything which transforms nature is art. especially the ballpoint pen. ;-)