In the name of “Modern Art,” many artists have famously been able to sell their “art” for exorbitant prices. A well known example of this is the collection called “Spatial Concept,” by Lucio Fontana, which contains many art pieces that have slashes over a simple canvas. One of these pieces fetched the incredulous price of $4.94 million dollars.

Richland Northeast High School recently hosted an art gallery, which contained many art pieces made by students, some of which raised questions in the minds of viewers; what is considered art? Is there a limit to art?

Many people feel that it’s unfair of simple art pieces to be sold off at such extravagant prices.

“How is this piece of paper getting so much recognition and money and support whereas other pieces of artwork that people actually put their thoughts and feelings into and time as well, but just aren’t getting as much recognition, so it’s a little confusing,” asked Zoe Becraft, an artist at the gallery.

However not everyone agrees on one perspective of the issue.

“Art is anything, art can be a leaf that you find different but your imagination of how you want to view it is your perspective of art,” said fellow artist Destiny Lester.

This supports the idea that every art piece, regardless of how simple it may seem, has value.

Many people do not support the idea of simple artwork pieces reaching high prices. However they fail to take into account that many people will buy nearly anything if a celebrity or popular artist’s name is on it.

This can be seen in today’s world by the many skincare lines done by celebrities, even if they have bad reviews on the internet, people continue to buy them. In the makeup industry, many people consider their skincare routine to be a type of art, and to endorse a below-average skincare line simply counteracts the argument; people will not buy simple art products.

Many people do not realize that some art pieces have significance and meaning that goes beyond the surface. A great example of this is the painting Cafe Terrace at Night by the famous artist Vincent Van Gogh. At a first glance, someone may think that it’s a simple piece of an outdoor dining area. However many scholars claim that it pays homage to the painting The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.

Not everyone understands the depth that art pieces can have, and that depth may even change from viewer to viewer, but that does not mean it loses value. Art is an experience that changes from person to person, and even millionaires must have a purpose for buying “simple” pieces of art.