Did you know that during the early half of the 20th century the Olympics awarded gold, silver and bronze medals for art? “From 1912 to 1952, juries awarded a total of 151 medals to original works in the fine arts inspired by athletic endeavors” (“When the Olympics Gave Out Medals for Art”). Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the man who founded the International Olympic Committee in 1894, had the firm belief that the Olympics should not just express the greatness of physical athletes, but also the greatness of “the sports of the mind” (“When Art Was an Olympic Sport”). Even though his views were met with opposition because many were wary about how you could judge art and outside factors, Coubertin was able to officially add art competitions into the Olympic Games in 1912. According to the article, “When the Olympics Gave Out Medals for Art”, many famous and popular artists were suspicious of this new addition and did not want to enter fearing that the competition might damage their…show more content… There are so many different meanings for one word because “the definition of art is open, subjective, [and] debatable. There is no agreement among historians and artists, which is why we’re left with so many definitions of art” (“What Do We Really Mean by Art”). Overall the very idea of “Whether art can be defined has…been a matter of controversy” (“The Definition of Art”). According to Ambrose Bierce, author of The Devil’s Dictionary, “Art, n. This word has no definition.” The only concrete conclusion an individual can draw about art is that everyone views this idea
