So on facebook and on various other sites, everyone is asking the question is magic an art? Really? Yes its an art for the past thousands of years. End of topic. Sorry just had to get that off my chest.

Of course, a lot of things are art. In fact most things are art in many different ways. Magic is more art than a lot of things, so many sub categories of art whether it be sleights, performance, spectator interaction, personality, clothes you wear, props, showmanship social skills, and so much more. It is A LOT of arts within an art. Anyone who questions it has no clue what art actually is, nor and clue about what being a magician requires.

I think the point those posts were trying to make is that Magic is a craft first. It is also true that most arts begin as crafts. You must first master the craft before you aspire to true art. Thus, those who go into magic thinking first about being an artist often wind up falling short.

Think about it this way....I could draw a bunch of cube people and to me it might not look much different than a Picasso, but somehow an art critic would know. Picasso did have an intimate understanding of the craft of sketching and painting before he ventured into his cubist stuff. He knew how to sketch a nude, he knew how to paint a landscape that accounted for perspective. I can't do either of those things but I can draw cube like people. It might fool me, it might fool you, but it wouldn't fool someone with a deep understanding of the craft.

So in magic you could aspire to be artistic, but if you do that before you learn the craft of sleight of hand or illusion, before you learn to script a show, before you learn the skills of misdirection, you will come off like a hack to those who know what is what. You might think your an artist but everyone around you will think your just a pretentious lousy magician. So don't worry about being an artist. If the spark is in you it will eventually come out. Instead, worry about your angles, worry about your lines, worry about your practice in the mirror, and worry about your spectators enjoying the show. You can't force art!

That's the difference between a trick monkey and a magician, art

It reminds me of the figure skating we see every four year in the Olympics (or more ffrequently if that's your thing.) The judges give a score for (and I may have the terms wrong but you'll get the point) "technical merit," and "artistic merit." Technical merit is the degree of difficulty and how well you accoplish the obective moves, while artistic merit is much less tangible. That's why scores from different judges are usually close in the former, and go all over the place in the latter.

Last night I downloaded Losander's Penguin lecture (highly recommended BTW, and I'll post a review when I finish all of it.) He did a lot of levitations including his famous "Bubble Zombie." I enjoyed his demonstration of the right ways and wrong ways to do these tricks. Both times he'd do each trick covered the basic elements or "technical merit," but only Losander's "right way" had any artistic merit. The difference was pretty stark.

WELL STATED, PADDY!

Also whether the performer is just showing off a trick or works towards creating an experience.

I think magic is a craft. And as in any craft there are levels of expertise. Working at renaissance fairs I have seen numerous mediocre craftsmen and some that have reached the level of artisans. As a welder I am a pretty good craftsman - I have seen work produced from artisans. Big difference!

Paddy makes a good point about trick monkeys and art. A good cook make a good meal, I have had very few meals by artisans. But when you do, you will never forget. And when you see a magician performing his art, you will never forget.

In magic I am a hobbyist. So when I perform magic it is not art - heck I'm lucky if it is even a good trick!

Art is usually in the eye of the beholder.

"The highest art is no art. The highest form is no form" -Bruce Lee.