There was a time in art when the definition of "visual art" was to paint with oil on canvas. I recall being at the Musee d' Orsay in Paris and seeing the craft paper and cardboard that impressionists like Degas or Toulouse-Lautrec would use to make hurried pastel drawings of whatever inspired them. Later, these were used as notations as the basis of an oil on canvas painting. It was the same for sculpturors, who made hurried sketches with charcoal or pencil on paper to later make into marble statues.
Time and artists have certainly moved from those strictures of what is fine art. Now, there's "mixed media" which makes it possible for a 2-D artist or a sculptor to find pieces and parts to create a piece out of almost anything - even the flotsom and jetsam of the ocean. (L. whale diving into waves)
Single artists and groups are creating art media out of the plastics that pollute the seas. Some choices are to paint a scene and use plastic waste to add dimension. (click on images for better viewing)
Some are to help make us aware of the harm that's being done to our beautiful planet's creatures.
Others are forming groups to build a fierce creature or a not-so-seaworthy turtle. Even in this playful way, artists are filling the roles of social and environmental consciousness.
It is best defined in the plastic sculpture of a single contemplative human.
Beautifully tragic
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