Are Guns Art? or is it just.....

[rockyrider]

Me, I think that guns are Beautiful. The LQQks, the style, the workmanship, the ingenuity, the finish. The comfort in the hand with that special grip that feels just right. The Aim, the point, the trigger control. The Shot!!!!!....... It's not about total power, much of it has to do with accuracy, proficiency. It's Capability. How does it look and feel to you?

 

[Arik]

To me ...TOOLS...some just happen to look better. This is why i dont own safe queens and if i managed to get a hold of one i'd make sure it got a thorough thrashing at the range!

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[kamloops67]

sure theyre tools ,but they are works of art as well that high polish blue doesnt make it shoot any straighter its just there to look good .
rubber hogue grip on my mod.14 works great but those goncalo alves ahrends grips are my favorite cause they look so nice.
what about the colt saa? that is pure functional art. jmho.

 

[Texas Star]

Guns can be art, but you are describing handling qualities.

Go to any Beretta Gallery and ask to see the high grade double guns, the SO series. That's art. Or the best grade Merkels or London Best guns. Or fine old flintlocks from the best makers. Nicholas Noel Boutet is one.

 

[kozmic]

I find most guns to be working forms of art. But what Bill Mains could do to a Ithaca Model 37 was something to behold.

 

[gregintenn]

A Glock or an AR15 is a tool. The late Mr. Wes Adams knew what art was. It is exhibited here in the third installment of his estate sale.
Firearms

 

[s1mp13m4n]

To me art has no other function than itself. Art has no function other than to be looked at and admired. To me a gun is a tool with a purpose. This explains what I mean

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=aQ8xDia5RNY

 

[gfy1960]

Anything is subject to interpretation. I you feel it is art then it becomes art. Everything has a way about it that can mean something to someone.

It may not be art to you, but to me it's beautiful.

 

[TOM BECKWITH]

Function follows form - the art of form and balance create a functional piece. The lines that appeal to the eye are an intregal part of it's success in the ability to function successfully. The intricate finish and decoration are iceing on the cake. Conversely - Butt Ugly don't work.

 

[guitar1580]

When you're using it, it's a tool, when it's just sitting there, it's a work of art, much like a fine watch, a guitar, a fine motorcycle or sports car.

I love precision machinery whether I'm pushing it to the max, or just staring at it.

JT

 

[Old 44 Guy]

All S&W's are works of art. The others are tools.

 

[Rastoff]

Yes, guns are art. Some more than others. This is art to me:

So is this:

So is this:

I guess I just like guns.

 

[BobC357]

Art is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[7shooter]

Every K frame seems to me to be a work of art. So do all Mountain Guns.

A few years ago the Minneapolis Institute of Art had a " gun show " that featured some incredibly detailed and beautiful firearms from around the world . Most were quite old . There were some tiny working guns in one display. There were the usual artsy looking patrons and guys who looked like this wasn't their first gun show.

BTW the Institute was posted.

 

[Dominus_Lex]

I do not want to hijack the thread but I think this is a debate between "art" and "craft". Immanuel Kant said of art it is "intrinsically final": they appeal purely at the level of the imagination and aren't good for any practical utility. Where craft relates to an item that has a common use. That said a Maria Martinez water pot or plate, Angelo Bee engraved shotgun, or Stephen Zeh basket, all push the limits between "art" and "craft" in terms of both aesthetics and value.

 

[Alnamvet68]

In the paraphrased words of Justice Potter Stewart, "I don't know what gun porn is, but dang it, I know it when I see it."

​

 

[SW_shooter]

I too think guns are a work of art. Even the plain and simple can be beautiful. I keep having a discussion with the Mrs about wanting to display my collection so I can look at them everyday. She keeps insisting they need to be hidden so people don't break into our home and steal them. Its not like I'm going to put them on display by the front door, I just want a nice antique cabinet in my office so I can see them without having to dig through a closet. Fine art should be seen and enjoyed, not hidden or covered up. Right?

 

[M29since14]

I do not want to hijack the thread but I think this is a debate between "art" and "craft". Immanuel Kant said of art it is "intrinsically final": they appeal purely at the level of the imagination and aren't good for any practical utility. Where craft relates to an item that has a common use. That said a Maria Martinez water pot or plate, Angelo Bee engraved shotgun, or Stephen Zeh basket, all push the limits between "art" and "craft" in terms of both aesthetics and value.

Yes, well said, though I do disagree with that notion that an artistic creation may not have any practical utility. I think that this "confusion" between the finality of an artistic creation and any utility it may have has applied to both fine art (architecture, for example) and more modern art. So it is nothing new. But overall this topic will probably turn into a pointless discussion that persuades no one. My own opinion is that, except in the case of the actual engraving of a firearm (and this need not be exclusively the "Bulino" style) where the engraving adds artistic flair and value to the creation far beyond its utility, a firearm is not an object of art even though we might casually talk about them in that way. Ordinary firearms certainly can be beautiful creations, just look at any of the lower-grade SO-series Beretta shotguns, but they seem more the work of craftsmen than of artists. JMHO.

 

[feralmerril]

Guns can be art. The ones that are, arent cheap. Most of mine are. The old winchesters and colts and most smiths are art to me. But not the later stainless steel, cheaper wood or plastic guns. For the most part manufactors quit useing quality wood by the 50s. Now you still might get it if you want to pay a fortune for it compared to the 1940s.
Unless we are talking high end almost custom guns you just dont get the high end wood, polish fit and finish we took for granite 50 years ago and back. They do say the colt SAA is now built like the first generations etc, but you pay $1,400 compared to $16s a 100 years ago.
They all look cruder now than they used to plus many have safety disclaimers etc wrote on the barrel. (ruger). It takes away from the winchesters to see made in japan stamped on them etc.
Now I could always see someone buying a harley or old indian just to look at in the garage even if its never rode!
I have never been a huge admirer of a lot of engraveing on a gun. I dont know that I would have one engraved even if I were a muti millionair where I didnt even have to consider cost.

 

[Ilike9mm]

I am an Artist/Art Teacher. 4 year degree in Graphic Design, painter, sculptor; electronic media.

An inanimate object (car/gun) can be Art; if you SAY it is. Simple!