What defines art?

Gombrich’s essay on the psychology of artistic representation explores the limits of “perfect interpretation” to answer “what defines art?” He quotes English painter Lucien Freud; “A moment of complete happiness never occurs in the creation of a work of art. The promise of it is felt in the act of creation, but disappears towards the completion of the work. For it is then that the painter realizes that it is only a picture he is painting.”(94) Gombrich’s argument that artists strive the create a perfect interpretation implies that he believes art is simply an interpretation. He further argues that an interpretation differs based on a projection. This interpretation based on projection, according to Gombrich, can come from what the artist sees, experiences, or creates in their mind. In other words, Gombrich implies that artistic interpretation is like Rorschach inkblot test, simply whatever one chooses to emphasize. I appreciate Gombrich’s modern definition of art. His argument opens the definition of art to any deliberate creative expression meant to produce a response. Because art is simply an interpretation, it can vary from artist to artist. In addition, because interpretations are based on projections, art can take any form.