Is 'artwork' a mass noun? [closed]
Solution 1:
Don't people do a fair amount of research before offering an answer they feel might be correct? At least go through all the major online dictionaries.
Merriam-Webster licenses both count and non-count senses (I've merged some of the sections):
a painting, sculpture, photograph, etc., that is created to be beautiful or to express an important idea or feeling : an artistic work
... 1a : an artistic production an 8-foot metal artwork
and
: drawings, photographs, etc., that are included in books, magazines, and other printed materials
... The walls of the restaurant are decorated in original artwork.
Solution 2:
Artwork is a mass noun, but it denotes two different types of mass.
In example 1, it denotes the mass of work that has gone into creating a single piece of art, so the comment is actually indicating one should look at the work that has gone into creating said art. This makes sense, because one can see the results of said work, and it is presumed that it is representative of that effort.
Artwork also means "a collection of art", because it refers to all of the work that went into creating it, so looking at a gallery of art, one could say "look at all that artwork!" and be correct.
For further definitions of Artwork: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/artwork