Art & Literature

I was browsing through Scott McCloud’s books the other day. Scott McCloud is a Western comics artist, and he has authored a graphic novel called Understanding Comics, which is considered to be the classic and best textbook reference for the study of comics as a medium. Anyway, I just skimmed through some of his ideas, but a couple things remain in my memory. One of them is how he defined Art and Literature.

According to McCloud, most forms of media (books, film, comics, photographs, paintings, music) can be used in a wide variety of ways, from entertainment to education. What elevates a particular instance of a medium from “common” to “Literature” or “Art” (as the snobs would call it), can be shown like this. We call things Literature when the message and themes that the medium conveys is meaningful or addresses an issue that is, for all intents and purposes, speaks to our souls and is “serious”. In other words, if a book talks about coffeeshop gossip, it’s probably not Literature, but if it portrays the human condition under conditions of war, depravity, stress, etc. , it can be called Literature. Literature is concerned with the content and meaning of the message being delivered by the medium. Art, on the other hand, explores the medium itself, and the techniques and ways in which a message can be brought forth through that medium. In other words, a medium becomes an Art form when it finds new ways to express something that is cannot be expressed by other media and leverages its’ inherent unique properties. Artistry is concerned with the properties and techniques inherent to that medium, and how to use them effectively.

I found those two definitions remarkably useful in clarifying my thought processes, and helping me think in new ways about all the mediums I create in – short stories, visual novels, games. I’ve always been interested in pushing the boundaries of innovation in those media – I don’t want to stick to the simple and boring entertainment. I want to try something different, something unique. And now I know where to concentrate my efforts. The boundaries become defined. Art and Literature – changing how a message is conveyed through a medium, and changing the message that the medium is trying to convey. That’s my goal.