What is art, exactly—and why do some famous paintings look like random squiggles? In this episode of Explain It Like I’m 5, Alex dives into the big, colorful question of what counts as art and why humans have been making it for tens of thousands of years. From cave paintings and hand stencils to Renaissance masterpieces, modern abstract art, graffiti, and TikTok dances, we explore how art has always been part of human life.

Alex explains different ways people have tried to define art: as imitation (copying reality), expression (showing feelings), and concept (communicating ideas). We walk through the history of art—from ancient Egyptian tombs, Greek and Roman statues, and medieval religious icons to Impressionism, Cubism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism—and see how each era changed what people thought art should look like.

The episode tackles the big question: why do some artworks look like scribbles, splatters, or plain shapes but still end up in museums or selling for millions? Alex uses examples like Jackson Pollock’s drip paintings, Picasso’s Cubism, and even a banana taped to a wall to show that in modern art, process, context, and ideas can matter more than realism. We also look at the psychology of art—how our brains respond to color, symmetry, and expressive brushstrokes—and why art triggers emotion, pleasure, and curiosity.

Along the way, you’ll hear fun art facts about the Mona Lisa’s missing eyebrows, Van Gogh’s lifetime sales, Michelangelo’s “ruined” marble, and Marcel Duchamp’s famous urinal that changed art history. By the end, art stops being a confusing mystery and becomes what it really is: a way humans say, “I felt something, I thought something, and I want you to experience it too”—even if it looks like squiggles.