Question

can I have paragraph on (i) comedy is an art (ii) magic is an art

Answer 1

Comedy is classified as both a genre of theater and of writing.  Standup is a way of performing comedy in theater, which therefore makes it art in the way performance art is art.  In writing, the arrangement of the words prioritizes emotional effect over factual communication of meaning which makes it more of an art than a science. Joke writing feels like painting with words more than following rigid rules and appreciation of comedy is always subjectiv for a listener or reader.  It may fall under Scott McCloud's definition of art in Understanding Comics too, which is to say that jokes don't literally shelter, clothe, feed you or help you procreate.  But people who get paid for writing jokes would argue they do all these things indirectly and keep you emotionally healthy as a mental coping mechanism survival instinct which also improves chances of being chosen as someone's partner for procreation.

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Daniel Fawcett, Part-Time Comedian

Written Apr 17, 2014

A little bit of science, and a whole lot of art. Comedy is a genre of entertainment that has lasted throughout the ages because it can systematically produce laughter from an audience. There are scientific ways in which to construct joke or write a sketch that will set-up the audiences expectation, and then deliver an unexpected punchline.

When you start to explore the different ways of writing and constructing jokes, you start to see the need for originality. Art is found within the individual comedian's unique take on a subject. It could be a new premise, or a story that we've heard a thousand times. Originality is art, and originality is the most sought after trait in stand-up comedy.

Consider painting, the brushes you use, the colors you combine on the canvas, and the canvas itself all lend themselves to the science of painting. But the art of painting begins when Picasso brings his cubist style. When Van Gough goes off into impressionism. 

When a comedian does his own stand up routine, he's an artist judged on two scales: Was he funny? How was he funny? The question was he funny, is the scientific judgement. There are things that make us laugh, and things that don't. How was he funny gets into the debate of originality and personal style. Those are debates within the field of art, and art is where most debates take place.