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When John Haack broke the all-time bench press world record at 100 kilograms in powerlifting, there was no need for any added opinion. The record was set. Strength sports like powerlifting employ provable, empirical measurements to determine the greats of the game. For bodybuilding — which is oftentimes lumped in with strength sports — becoming a champion often seems less about merit and more attached to the vagaries of subjective opinion.
After all, IFBB Pro League judges recently agreed that Hadi Choopan was the top bodybuilder at the 2022 Mr. Olympia. At the same time, any spectator could argue that they disagree with the combined assessment of the professional judging panel. Ironically, that individual opinion couldn’t be proven unequivocally wrong. Even though judges have a scoring system in place to bring some measurables to bodybuilding, it’s still, ultimately, subjective.
Photo by Chris Bernacchi
[Read: Seven Types of Bench Press Grips — Benefits and How to Use Them]
From a competitive perspective, all the subjectivity in bodybuilding may feel like a glitch in the system. Can anyone really win in a game of opinions? Probably not. Subjectivity, as a problem, favors the viewpoint of competitive sports, which relies on empirical results. As such, maybe bodybuilding shouldn’t be considered just a competitive sport. Maybe it needs to be considered something else that accommodates and even encourages assessments based on opinions and emotions.
When regarded as “an art form with a competitive arena” rather than “a sport that has a subjectivity problem,” subjectivity becomes a feature. Champion bodybuilders impress us, inspire us, and emblazon themselves upon memory — like any work of art.
Editor’s Note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the video are the author’s and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively by the author.
Is a Bench Press the Same as a Paint Brush?
When you consider how a common goal of bodybuilding is creation, it resembles art more than sport. The majority of people who train in some form of bodybuilding are not competitive in their pursuit, yet they are creating something.
As former three-time Mr. Olympia runner-up Kai Greene said in his 2016 Facebook post:
Bodybuilding is an art; your body is the canvas, weights are your brush, and nutrition is your paint.
While different than brushes or a musical instrument, the tools of a bodybuilder — barbells, machines, food scales — are similarly employed for a result that goes beyond the use of the tools themselves. They’re used to create a physical shape designed to elicit an emotional response from an observer — a shape that perhaps a judge might favor or will trigger reactions from one’s social media following. The ability to create provoking physical shape is more suggestive of an act of art than a physical act of sport.
Many often picture art as the fine Renoir paintings or grand Beethoven symphonies. These types of creations are regarded as prestigious and sophisticated, far removed from the clanking, sweating, and grunting of bodybuilding in a crowded gym. How could anyone confuse bodybuilding with art?
Shutterstock/Improvisor
[Read: The 6 Best Bodyweight Biceps Exercises for Getting Jacked Outside the Gym]
High, Medium, and Low Art
While there is a vast array of disciplines within art, notions of “high art,” “medium art,” and “low art” have emerged. Where bodybuilding best fits in this hierarchy seem essential to understanding why its consideration as an art form comes second to its acknowledgment as sport. The Journal Of Aesthetics and Art Criticism explains how a piece of art’s position as high, medium, or low is based on what the audience needs to understand the main ideas or focus of the art. (1)
When something feels foreign or hard to understand, it’s often because we lack reference or experience. High art is any art that is accessible only by small numbers of people who have specific reference points. This is why high art is often “hard to understand” for a general audience — think abstract paintings at a posh museum or the construction of grand symphonies.
Medium art is any art that is generally accessible and can be appreciated by most but may not be fully understood by some groups. Think of how the work of J.R.R. Tolkien may not be enjoyable for young children despite its fantasy elements.
Low art is any art that can be appreciated by almost anyone, such as music from famous singers like Beyoncé, television shows like Looney Toons, or perhaps even bodybuilding.
Shutterstock/Kiselev Andrey Valerevich
[Read: What Are Hang Lifts in Weightlifting? Plus, How to Use Them for More Strength]
But Low Art Isn’t Bad Art
It takes little frame of reference to be impressed with a bodybuilding physique. One doesn’t need any unique education to have an opinion about a muscular frame. This degree of accessibility categorizes bodybuilding as “low art.” It is commonly accessible and easily understood; “Big muscles! WOW!”
Often, “low art,” like graffiti, cartoons, and advertisements, get a bad rap simply because they are so commonplace in our culture. It’s a frustrating bit of dismissiveness; these forms of low art are every bit as worthwhile as their high-art counterparts.
Bodybuilding often suffers this unfair dismissal. While it’s defensible as a form of art, it is not often thought of as such because the creation — that muscular body of Kai Greene, or Lenda Murray, or a well-built fellow at your gym — is almost too easily understood and easily emotionally resonant.
Shutterstock/Andy Gin
[Read: Bodybuilding Lore Addressed: Can You Really Build a Biceps Peak?]
Bodybuilders Have Been Seen as Artists All Along
During his early rise to pop culture fame, bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger was part of a publicity stunt in the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City as a form of “live art.” Literally on display as a “living statue,” Schwarzenegger posed just as any competitive bodybuilder might. However, the goal was to evoke emotion as a piece of art would.
Ironically, these emotions would be shared by audience members watching him win one of his seven Mr. Olympia titles. That emotional reaction is the same, regardless of whether there’s a sporting competition or a judging panel present.
The aforementioned Greene also represented this aspect of bodybuilding in New York City when he put on a mask and posed on a subway platform. Think of a street musician, but instead of a guitar or keyboard, it was Greene’s massive muscles hitting pose after pose with fluid transitions demonstrating how the physique evokes emotion. He didn’t need a competition stage, only an audience.
These examples suggest that bodybuilding is more an art than a sport by how resilient its value is outside of the competitive arena. For example, simple polaroid pictures of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger taken by legendary pop artist Andy Warhol are currently valued between $8,000 to $12,000 on the auction house Christie’s website. Granted, these were taken in 1977, right as Schwarzenegger’s star began to rise thanks to the 1977 film Pumping Iron. Still, Warhol’s polaroids highlight the mainstream appeal that a bodybuilder’s physique has and the potential value it can accumulate time.
Shutterstock/Mike Orlov
[Read: Bodybuilder Frank Zane Was Cast as Marvel Superhero in Failed “Silver Surfer” Movie]
Emotion Is the Goal
“Golden Era” bodybuilder Serge Nubret was arguably correct when he said, “Bodybuilding is not only a sport but first an art.” While bodybuilders are referred to as athletes because their practices are, indeed, athletic, what they are doing is an art form. They are creating something designed to be observed and, in that observation, elicit opinion or emotional response.
This emotional response can be in the form of competitive judges being dazzled or just someone clicking “like” on an image of a physique they admire. The emotional response could be an inspiration that triggers motivation to go lift weights or the launching of imagination into visions of powerful superheroes. The emotional response is the point.
While success in other strength sports often relies on empirical, measurable results of the individual practitioner, bodybuilding success relies on subjective, impulsive reactions from others. Yes, it can be corralled into a sporting competition context, but bodybuilding is an art form.
References
Ting Cho Lau, Rethinking Low, Middle, and High Art, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Volume 80, Issue 4, Fall 2022, Pages 432–443, https://doi.org/10.1093/jaac/kpac034
Featured Image: Chris Bernacchi
When John Haack broke the all-time bench press world record at 100 kilograms in powerlifting, there was no need for any added opinion. The record was set. Strength sports like powerlifting employ provable, empirical measurements to determine the greats of the game. For bodybuilding — which is oftentimes lumped in with strength sports — becoming a champion often seems less about merit and more attached to the vagaries of subjective opinion.
After all, IFBB Pro League judges recently agreed that Hadi Choopan was the top bodybuilder at the 2022 Mr. Olympia. At the same time, any spectator could argue that they disagree with the combined assessment of the professional judging panel. Ironically, that individual opinion couldn’t be proven unequivocally wrong. Even though judges have a scoring system in place to bring some measurables to bodybuilding, it’s still, ultimately, subjective.
Photo by Chris Bernacchi
[Read: Seven Types of Bench Press Grips — Benefits and How to Use Them]
From a competitive perspective, all the subjectivity in bodybuilding may feel like a glitch in the system. Can anyone really win in a game of opinions? Probably not. Subjectivity, as a problem, favors the viewpoint of competitive sports, which relies on empirical results. As such, maybe bodybuilding shouldn’t be considered just a competitive sport. Maybe it needs to be considered something else that accommodates and even encourages assessments based on opinions and emotions.
When regarded as “an art form with a competitive arena” rather than “a sport that has a subjectivity problem,” subjectivity becomes a feature. Champion bodybuilders impress us, inspire us, and emblazon themselves upon memory — like any work of art.
Editor’s Note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the video are the author’s and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively by the author.
Is a Bench Press the Same as a Paint Brush?
When you consider how a common goal of bodybuilding is creation, it resembles art more than sport. The majority of people who train in some form of bodybuilding are not competitive in their pursuit, yet they are creating something.
As former three-time Mr. Olympia runner-up Kai Greene said in his 2016 Facebook post:
Bodybuilding is an art; your body is the canvas, weights are your brush, and nutrition is your paint.
[/quote]
While different than brushes or a musical instrument, the tools of a bodybuilder — barbells, machines, food scales — are similarly employed for a result that goes beyond the use of the tools themselves. They’re used to create a physical shape designed to elicit an emotional response from an observer — a shape that perhaps a judge might favor or will trigger reactions from one’s social media following. The ability to create provoking physical shape is more suggestive of an act of art than a physical act of sport.
Many often picture art as the fine Renoir paintings or grand Beethoven symphonies. These types of creations are regarded as prestigious and sophisticated, far removed from the clanking, sweating, and grunting of bodybuilding in a crowded gym. How could anyone confuse bodybuilding with art?
Shutterstock/Improvisor
[Read: The 6 Best Bodyweight Biceps Exercises for Getting Jacked Outside the Gym]
High, Medium, and Low Art
While there is a vast array of disciplines within art, notions of “high art,” “medium art,” and “low art” have emerged. Where bodybuilding best fits in this hierarchy seem essential to understanding why its consideration as an art form comes second to its acknowledgment as sport. The Journal Of Aesthetics and Art Criticism explains how a piece of art’s position as high, medium, or low is based on what the audience needs to understand the main ideas or focus of the art. (1)
When something feels foreign or hard to understand, it’s often because we lack reference or experience. High art is any art that is accessible only by small numbers of people who have specific reference points. This is why high art is often “hard to understand” for a general audience — think abstract paintings at a posh museum or the construction of grand symphonies.
Medium art is any art that is generally accessible and can be appreciated by most but may not be fully understood by some groups. Think of how the work of J.R.R. Tolkien may not be enjoyable for young children despite its fantasy elements.
Low art is any art that can be appreciated by almost anyone, such as music from famous singers like Beyoncé, television shows like Looney Toons, or perhaps even bodybuilding.
Shutterstock/Kiselev Andrey Valerevich
[Read: What Are Hang Lifts in Weightlifting? Plus, How to Use Them for More Strength]
But Low Art Isn’t Bad Art
It takes little frame of reference to be impressed with a bodybuilding physique. One doesn’t need any unique education to have an opinion about a muscular frame. This degree of accessibility categorizes bodybuilding as “low art.” It is commonly accessible and easily understood; “Big muscles! WOW!”
Often, “low art,” like graffiti, cartoons, and advertisements, get a bad rap simply because they are so commonplace in our culture. It’s a frustrating bit of dismissiveness; these forms of low art are every bit as worthwhile as their high-art counterparts.
Bodybuilding often suffers this unfair dismissal. While it’s defensible as a form of art, it is not often thought of as such because the creation — that muscular body of Kai Greene, or Lenda Murray, or a well-built fellow at your gym — is almost too easily understood and easily emotionally resonant.
Shutterstock/Andy Gin
[Read: Bodybuilding Lore Addressed: Can You Really Build a Biceps Peak?]
Bodybuilders Have Been Seen as Artists All Along
During his early rise to pop culture fame, bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger was part of a publicity stunt in the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City as a form of “live art.” Literally on display as a “living statue,” Schwarzenegger posed just as any competitive bodybuilder might. However, the goal was to evoke emotion as a piece of art would.
Ironically, these emotions would be shared by audience members watching him win one of his seven Mr. Olympia titles. That emotional reaction is the same, regardless of whether there’s a sporting competition or a judging panel present.
The aforementioned Greene also represented this aspect of bodybuilding in New York City when he put on a mask and posed on a subway platform. Think of a street musician, but instead of a guitar or keyboard, it was Greene’s massive muscles hitting pose after pose with fluid transitions demonstrating how the physique evokes emotion. He didn’t need a competition stage, only an audience.
These examples suggest that bodybuilding is more an art than a sport by how resilient its value is outside of the competitive arena. For example, simple polaroid pictures of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger taken by legendary pop artist Andy Warhol are currently valued between $8,000 to $12,000 on the auction house Christie’s website. Granted, these were taken in 1977, right as Schwarzenegger’s star began to rise thanks to the 1977 film Pumping Iron. Still, Warhol’s polaroids highlight the mainstream appeal that a bodybuilder’s physique has and the potential value it can accumulate time.
Shutterstock/Mike Orlov
[Read: Bodybuilder Frank Zane Was Cast as Marvel Superhero in Failed “Silver Surfer” Movie]
Emotion Is the Goal
“Golden Era” bodybuilder Serge Nubret was arguably correct when he said, “Bodybuilding is not only a sport but first an art.” While bodybuilders are referred to as athletes because their practices are, indeed, athletic, what they are doing is an art form. They are creating something designed to be observed and, in that observation, elicit opinion or emotional response.
This emotional response can be in the form of competitive judges being dazzled or just someone clicking “like” on an image of a physique they admire. The emotional response could be an inspiration that triggers motivation to go lift weights or the launching of imagination into visions of powerful superheroes. The emotional response is the point.
While success in other strength sports often relies on empirical, measurable results of the individual practitioner, bodybuilding success relies on subjective, impulsive reactions from others. Yes, it can be corralled into a sporting competition context, but bodybuilding is an art form.
References
Ting Cho Lau, Rethinking Low, Middle, and High Art, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Volume 80, Issue 4, Fall 2022, Pages 432–443, https://doi.org/10.1093/jaac/kpac034
Featured Image: Chris Bernacchi
Click here to view the article.
After all, IFBB Pro League judges recently agreed that Hadi Choopan was the top bodybuilder at the 2022 Mr. Olympia. At the same time, any spectator could argue that they disagree with the combined assessment of the professional judging panel. Ironically, that individual opinion couldn’t be proven unequivocally wrong. Even though judges have a scoring system in place to bring some measurables to bodybuilding, it’s still, ultimately, subjective.
Photo by Chris Bernacchi
[Read: Seven Types of Bench Press Grips — Benefits and How to Use Them]
From a competitive perspective, all the subjectivity in bodybuilding may feel like a glitch in the system. Can anyone really win in a game of opinions? Probably not. Subjectivity, as a problem, favors the viewpoint of competitive sports, which relies on empirical results. As such, maybe bodybuilding shouldn’t be considered just a competitive sport. Maybe it needs to be considered something else that accommodates and even encourages assessments based on opinions and emotions.
When regarded as “an art form with a competitive arena” rather than “a sport that has a subjectivity problem,” subjectivity becomes a feature. Champion bodybuilders impress us, inspire us, and emblazon themselves upon memory — like any work of art.
Editor’s Note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the video are the author’s and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively by the author.
Is a Bench Press the Same as a Paint Brush?
When you consider how a common goal of bodybuilding is creation, it resembles art more than sport. The majority of people who train in some form of bodybuilding are not competitive in their pursuit, yet they are creating something.
As former three-time Mr. Olympia runner-up Kai Greene said in his 2016 Facebook post:
Bodybuilding is an art; your body is the canvas, weights are your brush, and nutrition is your paint.
While different than brushes or a musical instrument, the tools of a bodybuilder — barbells, machines, food scales — are similarly employed for a result that goes beyond the use of the tools themselves. They’re used to create a physical shape designed to elicit an emotional response from an observer — a shape that perhaps a judge might favor or will trigger reactions from one’s social media following. The ability to create provoking physical shape is more suggestive of an act of art than a physical act of sport.
Many often picture art as the fine Renoir paintings or grand Beethoven symphonies. These types of creations are regarded as prestigious and sophisticated, far removed from the clanking, sweating, and grunting of bodybuilding in a crowded gym. How could anyone confuse bodybuilding with art?
Shutterstock/Improvisor
[Read: The 6 Best Bodyweight Biceps Exercises for Getting Jacked Outside the Gym]
High, Medium, and Low Art
While there is a vast array of disciplines within art, notions of “high art,” “medium art,” and “low art” have emerged. Where bodybuilding best fits in this hierarchy seem essential to understanding why its consideration as an art form comes second to its acknowledgment as sport. The Journal Of Aesthetics and Art Criticism explains how a piece of art’s position as high, medium, or low is based on what the audience needs to understand the main ideas or focus of the art. (1)
When something feels foreign or hard to understand, it’s often because we lack reference or experience. High art is any art that is accessible only by small numbers of people who have specific reference points. This is why high art is often “hard to understand” for a general audience — think abstract paintings at a posh museum or the construction of grand symphonies.
Medium art is any art that is generally accessible and can be appreciated by most but may not be fully understood by some groups. Think of how the work of J.R.R. Tolkien may not be enjoyable for young children despite its fantasy elements.
Low art is any art that can be appreciated by almost anyone, such as music from famous singers like Beyoncé, television shows like Looney Toons, or perhaps even bodybuilding.
Shutterstock/Kiselev Andrey Valerevich
[Read: What Are Hang Lifts in Weightlifting? Plus, How to Use Them for More Strength]
But Low Art Isn’t Bad Art
It takes little frame of reference to be impressed with a bodybuilding physique. One doesn’t need any unique education to have an opinion about a muscular frame. This degree of accessibility categorizes bodybuilding as “low art.” It is commonly accessible and easily understood; “Big muscles! WOW!”
Often, “low art,” like graffiti, cartoons, and advertisements, get a bad rap simply because they are so commonplace in our culture. It’s a frustrating bit of dismissiveness; these forms of low art are every bit as worthwhile as their high-art counterparts.
Bodybuilding often suffers this unfair dismissal. While it’s defensible as a form of art, it is not often thought of as such because the creation — that muscular body of Kai Greene, or Lenda Murray, or a well-built fellow at your gym — is almost too easily understood and easily emotionally resonant.
Shutterstock/Andy Gin
[Read: Bodybuilding Lore Addressed: Can You Really Build a Biceps Peak?]
Bodybuilders Have Been Seen as Artists All Along
During his early rise to pop culture fame, bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger was part of a publicity stunt in the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City as a form of “live art.” Literally on display as a “living statue,” Schwarzenegger posed just as any competitive bodybuilder might. However, the goal was to evoke emotion as a piece of art would.
Ironically, these emotions would be shared by audience members watching him win one of his seven Mr. Olympia titles. That emotional reaction is the same, regardless of whether there’s a sporting competition or a judging panel present.
The aforementioned Greene also represented this aspect of bodybuilding in New York City when he put on a mask and posed on a subway platform. Think of a street musician, but instead of a guitar or keyboard, it was Greene’s massive muscles hitting pose after pose with fluid transitions demonstrating how the physique evokes emotion. He didn’t need a competition stage, only an audience.
These examples suggest that bodybuilding is more an art than a sport by how resilient its value is outside of the competitive arena. For example, simple polaroid pictures of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger taken by legendary pop artist Andy Warhol are currently valued between $8,000 to $12,000 on the auction house Christie’s website. Granted, these were taken in 1977, right as Schwarzenegger’s star began to rise thanks to the 1977 film Pumping Iron. Still, Warhol’s polaroids highlight the mainstream appeal that a bodybuilder’s physique has and the potential value it can accumulate time.
Shutterstock/Mike Orlov
[Read: Bodybuilder Frank Zane Was Cast as Marvel Superhero in Failed “Silver Surfer” Movie]
Emotion Is the Goal
“Golden Era” bodybuilder Serge Nubret was arguably correct when he said, “Bodybuilding is not only a sport but first an art.” While bodybuilders are referred to as athletes because their practices are, indeed, athletic, what they are doing is an art form. They are creating something designed to be observed and, in that observation, elicit opinion or emotional response.
This emotional response can be in the form of competitive judges being dazzled or just someone clicking “like” on an image of a physique they admire. The emotional response could be an inspiration that triggers motivation to go lift weights or the launching of imagination into visions of powerful superheroes. The emotional response is the point.
While success in other strength sports often relies on empirical, measurable results of the individual practitioner, bodybuilding success relies on subjective, impulsive reactions from others. Yes, it can be corralled into a sporting competition context, but bodybuilding is an art form.
References
Ting Cho Lau, Rethinking Low, Middle, and High Art, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Volume 80, Issue 4, Fall 2022, Pages 432–443, https://doi.org/10.1093/jaac/kpac034
Featured Image: Chris Bernacchi
When John Haack broke the all-time bench press world record at 100 kilograms in powerlifting, there was no need for any added opinion. The record was set. Strength sports like powerlifting employ provable, empirical measurements to determine the greats of the game. For bodybuilding — which is oftentimes lumped in with strength sports — becoming a champion often seems less about merit and more attached to the vagaries of subjective opinion.
After all, IFBB Pro League judges recently agreed that Hadi Choopan was the top bodybuilder at the 2022 Mr. Olympia. At the same time, any spectator could argue that they disagree with the combined assessment of the professional judging panel. Ironically, that individual opinion couldn’t be proven unequivocally wrong. Even though judges have a scoring system in place to bring some measurables to bodybuilding, it’s still, ultimately, subjective.
Photo by Chris Bernacchi
[Read: Seven Types of Bench Press Grips — Benefits and How to Use Them]
From a competitive perspective, all the subjectivity in bodybuilding may feel like a glitch in the system. Can anyone really win in a game of opinions? Probably not. Subjectivity, as a problem, favors the viewpoint of competitive sports, which relies on empirical results. As such, maybe bodybuilding shouldn’t be considered just a competitive sport. Maybe it needs to be considered something else that accommodates and even encourages assessments based on opinions and emotions.
When regarded as “an art form with a competitive arena” rather than “a sport that has a subjectivity problem,” subjectivity becomes a feature. Champion bodybuilders impress us, inspire us, and emblazon themselves upon memory — like any work of art.
Editor’s Note: This article is an op-ed. The views expressed herein and in the video are the author’s and don’t necessarily reflect the views of BarBend. Claims, assertions, opinions, and quotes have been sourced exclusively by the author.
Is a Bench Press the Same as a Paint Brush?
When you consider how a common goal of bodybuilding is creation, it resembles art more than sport. The majority of people who train in some form of bodybuilding are not competitive in their pursuit, yet they are creating something.
As former three-time Mr. Olympia runner-up Kai Greene said in his 2016 Facebook post:
Bodybuilding is an art; your body is the canvas, weights are your brush, and nutrition is your paint.
[/quote]
While different than brushes or a musical instrument, the tools of a bodybuilder — barbells, machines, food scales — are similarly employed for a result that goes beyond the use of the tools themselves. They’re used to create a physical shape designed to elicit an emotional response from an observer — a shape that perhaps a judge might favor or will trigger reactions from one’s social media following. The ability to create provoking physical shape is more suggestive of an act of art than a physical act of sport.
Many often picture art as the fine Renoir paintings or grand Beethoven symphonies. These types of creations are regarded as prestigious and sophisticated, far removed from the clanking, sweating, and grunting of bodybuilding in a crowded gym. How could anyone confuse bodybuilding with art?
[Read: The 6 Best Bodyweight Biceps Exercises for Getting Jacked Outside the Gym]
High, Medium, and Low Art
While there is a vast array of disciplines within art, notions of “high art,” “medium art,” and “low art” have emerged. Where bodybuilding best fits in this hierarchy seem essential to understanding why its consideration as an art form comes second to its acknowledgment as sport. The Journal Of Aesthetics and Art Criticism explains how a piece of art’s position as high, medium, or low is based on what the audience needs to understand the main ideas or focus of the art. (1)
When something feels foreign or hard to understand, it’s often because we lack reference or experience. High art is any art that is accessible only by small numbers of people who have specific reference points. This is why high art is often “hard to understand” for a general audience — think abstract paintings at a posh museum or the construction of grand symphonies.
Medium art is any art that is generally accessible and can be appreciated by most but may not be fully understood by some groups. Think of how the work of J.R.R. Tolkien may not be enjoyable for young children despite its fantasy elements.
Low art is any art that can be appreciated by almost anyone, such as music from famous singers like Beyoncé, television shows like Looney Toons, or perhaps even bodybuilding.
[Read: What Are Hang Lifts in Weightlifting? Plus, How to Use Them for More Strength]
But Low Art Isn’t Bad Art
It takes little frame of reference to be impressed with a bodybuilding physique. One doesn’t need any unique education to have an opinion about a muscular frame. This degree of accessibility categorizes bodybuilding as “low art.” It is commonly accessible and easily understood; “Big muscles! WOW!”
Often, “low art,” like graffiti, cartoons, and advertisements, get a bad rap simply because they are so commonplace in our culture. It’s a frustrating bit of dismissiveness; these forms of low art are every bit as worthwhile as their high-art counterparts.
Bodybuilding often suffers this unfair dismissal. While it’s defensible as a form of art, it is not often thought of as such because the creation — that muscular body of Kai Greene, or Lenda Murray, or a well-built fellow at your gym — is almost too easily understood and easily emotionally resonant.
[Read: Bodybuilding Lore Addressed: Can You Really Build a Biceps Peak?]
Bodybuilders Have Been Seen as Artists All Along
During his early rise to pop culture fame, bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger was part of a publicity stunt in the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City as a form of “live art.” Literally on display as a “living statue,” Schwarzenegger posed just as any competitive bodybuilder might. However, the goal was to evoke emotion as a piece of art would.
Ironically, these emotions would be shared by audience members watching him win one of his seven Mr. Olympia titles. That emotional reaction is the same, regardless of whether there’s a sporting competition or a judging panel present.
The aforementioned Greene also represented this aspect of bodybuilding in New York City when he put on a mask and posed on a subway platform. Think of a street musician, but instead of a guitar or keyboard, it was Greene’s massive muscles hitting pose after pose with fluid transitions demonstrating how the physique evokes emotion. He didn’t need a competition stage, only an audience.
These examples suggest that bodybuilding is more an art than a sport by how resilient its value is outside of the competitive arena. For example, simple polaroid pictures of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger taken by legendary pop artist Andy Warhol are currently valued between $8,000 to $12,000 on the auction house Christie’s website. Granted, these were taken in 1977, right as Schwarzenegger’s star began to rise thanks to the 1977 film Pumping Iron. Still, Warhol’s polaroids highlight the mainstream appeal that a bodybuilder’s physique has and the potential value it can accumulate time.
[Read: Bodybuilder Frank Zane Was Cast as Marvel Superhero in Failed “Silver Surfer” Movie]
Emotion Is the Goal
“Golden Era” bodybuilder Serge Nubret was arguably correct when he said, “Bodybuilding is not only a sport but first an art.” While bodybuilders are referred to as athletes because their practices are, indeed, athletic, what they are doing is an art form. They are creating something designed to be observed and, in that observation, elicit opinion or emotional response.
This emotional response can be in the form of competitive judges being dazzled or just someone clicking “like” on an image of a physique they admire. The emotional response could be an inspiration that triggers motivation to go lift weights or the launching of imagination into visions of powerful superheroes. The emotional response is the point.
While success in other strength sports often relies on empirical, measurable results of the individual practitioner, bodybuilding success relies on subjective, impulsive reactions from others. Yes, it can be corralled into a sporting competition context, but bodybuilding is an art form.
References
Ting Cho Lau, Rethinking Low, Middle, and High Art, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Volume 80, Issue 4, Fall 2022, Pages 432–443, https://doi.org/10.1093/jaac/kpac034
Featured Image: Chris Bernacchi
Click here to view the article.
