Art: Definitions, Perceptions, and Controversies

What is Art? (Some Definitions)

The term actually refers to a range of human activities, creations and expressions that appeal to the senses and/or emotions. It can cover all the arts (visual arts, music, dance, literature, etc.), but is usually used to mean the visual arts. Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that is focused on art.

Usage of the Term Art

The most common usage of the term art started sometime after 1750, and was understood to denote the use of a skill to produce an aesthetic result. This is still the most common use today. The second and most recent usage is related to fine arts, and is rooted in Aristotles philosophy, and the idea of art for arts sake. Art is considered fine if its end purpose is simply to exist for itself.

Usage(cont.)
Art can be used to describe the following: Art as a collection of disciplines Art as a discipline itself Art as objects produced under the discipline Art as activity Art as experience

a. b. c. d. e.

The Functions of Art: Nonmotivated Functions

The non-motivated functions of art are those that do not fulfill a specific external purpose, but are inherent or instinctual to human beings. a. Basic human instinct for harmony, balance, and rhythm b. Experience of the mysterious

Non-motivated Functions(cont.)
c. Expression of the imagination d. Universal communication e. Ritualistic and symbolic functions Some of these functions do tend to spill over into more practical functions, like art that act as symbols, especially religious symbols.

Motivated Functions of Art

Art that is motivated means that the artist/s or creator/s of the artwork had a specific purpose in mind when creating the art piece, whether that purpose be political, psychological, commentary, to sell a product, or to communicate something. a. Communication b. Entertainment

Motivated Functions(cont.)
c. Political change d. Psychological and healing purposes e. Social inquiry, subversion, and/or anarchy f. Propaganda or commercialism Note, however, that simply because art is motivated does not mean the non-motivated functions dont come into play.

When Motivations Cross

Nicole Kidman in the Chanel No. 5 Ad

When Motivations Cross

Judge Magisters from Final Fantasy XII Yoshitaka Amano

When Motivations Cross

Promotional Poster for The Da Vinci Code movie

When Motivations Cross

Guernica Pablo Picasso

Some More Definitions

Art form is the specific shape, or quality that an artistic expression takes. For example, a painting belongs to a specific art form because it makes use of pigments, which are applied on a flat surface using various applicators. This makes it a different art form from music, which makes use of sounds arranged in a specific way to give form to artistic expression.

Some More(cont.)
Genre is a particular set of conventions and styles within a particular media. In movies and literature, that would mean a work is a romance, a comedy, a thriller, etc. Each of these have their own sets of tropes, cliches, and conventions, which define the genre and separate it from other examples of an art form.

Some More(cont.)
Style is the distinctive method and form an artwork takes. Certain art movements, periods of history, cultures, and artists are associated with particular styles. For example, the composer Beethoven composed in a style that was unique to himself and to the time period he lived, making him distinct from other classical composers who were alive and composing during the same time as he, as well as composers before and after him.

Characteristics
One of the primary characteristics of art is that it is made with skill and craft. Nothing can be considered a work of art unless it is made not only with skill, but with mastery as well. Thats why stick figures are rarely considered art, because they do not require much skill and mastery in order to make.

Characteristics (cont.)
Art is also used to communicate. It does not matter whether or not the message being sent is obvious or not; most art usually has the intention of communicating some form of message to its audience. It can be simple pleasure, but it can also be something political, or even to raise awareness of an issue or to sell a product.

Characteristics (cont.)
One cannot separate value judgments when it comes to art. What makes a piece of art good or bad relies heavily on the value judgments made by the audience. Value judgments are not always the realm of the artists, but seem to belong mostly to the realm of the audience, the ones judging an artists work.

Some Problems with the Characteristics of Art

In some modern art movements, especially ones that make use of ready-made objects, the question of skill and mastery comes into question. After all, how can one call something art if its basically something the artist found off the street or in the dumpsite and chose to display in a gallery? Where is the skill and mastery in that?

Some Problems(cont.)
Value judgments are a bit sketchy, since this relies far too heavily on the aesthetics of the audience. This is especially true when looking at artwork from a different culture. African tribal masks might look utterly grotesque to a Western art critic, but to the tribe from which it came from, it is a thing of wondrous beauty.

Which of These is Art?

Penelope Cruz in an Ad for Mango

The Girl with the Pearl Earring Vermeer

Which of These is Art?

Paris Hilton

Leaving Before You Leave Me Andreea Retinschi

Aesthetics: The Philosophy of Art and Beauty

What is Aesthetics?
This is commonly defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment or taste. Scholars define it as the critical reflection on art, culture and nature. It is a sub-discipline of axiology, which is a a branch of philosophy closely associated with the philosophy of art. It studies new ways of looking at and perceiving the world.

The Question of Taste and Beauty: Aesthetic Judgment

Aesthetic judgment is based on our ability to make sensory discriminations. According to Immanuel Kant, taking pleasure from something requires only the senses, but to really call something beautiful requires that the thing in question engage not only the senses, but the mind and soul as well. Aesthetics is a philosophical concept, while taste is something ingrained culturally, and varies according to class, education, and cultural background.

What Affects our Aesthetic Judgment?

Aesthetic judgments are affected by the audiences culture and backgrounds. More often than not, what is judged as beautiful is taught or ingrained into a person by the culture and class s/he belongs to, as well as the education s/he received. Anthropologists claim that certain positive aesthetic reactions come from an innate knowledge of what will benefit a person. Green and blue are considered soothing and beautiful because they exemplify water and greenery, which sustain human life.

Which is Tasteful?

Head Full of Roses visiolux

Eye of the Tiger ian-x

Which is More Beautiful?

Ukiyo-e Print of a Young Woman

Portrait of a Young Woman Sandro Botticelli

Aesthetics and Art

The philosophy of aesthetics, when combined with art, raises more than a few questions. Some of the most important are: a. What is art? Since art and beauty are inextricably linked, aesthetics has always come into play when asking what exactly art is. Much of the art of the 20th century is not necessarily beautiful but then again, what defines beauty seems to change quite frequently. Many arguments have emerged, focusing not only on beauty but on skill and mastery, craft vs. fine art, function, institutional definition, etc.

Aesthetics and Art (cont.)

b. What should we judge when we judge art? When looking at a work of art, it becomes a question as to which aspects of that piece one must consider when judging it. When judging a painting, does one judge the painter, the work itself, or the context of its presentation? In a film, does one judge the actors, the scriptwriters, or the costume designers? So many factors come into play that judging a work of art can be difficult sometimes.

Aesthetics and Art (cont.)

c. What should art be like? When we look at a piece of artwork, we are usually able to tell if it is, indeed, art or something else. But now that certain forms, like advertisements, movies, and video games, are blurring the lines, how do we know if something is a work of art, or not? What form should a piece take if it is to be considered a work of art?

Aesthetics and Art (cont.)

d. What is the value of art? Art is not necessarily a practical thing. It does not help cure AIDS, nor does it solve the problem of poverty. Given that it is not exactly a practical thing, why should art be of any value to anyone? Also, it is important to ask how different cultures and individuals place value on art.

An Interesting Scenario
Q: An alien invasion force arrives from outer space, hell-bent on destroying Earth unless humans can give the aliens a good reason not to do so. What could humans do?

Possible A: Show the aliens a painting, a work of literature, or a piece of music. Aliens will likely have far more advanced science, technology, and mathematics, but it is possible they cannot compete with humanitys artistic achievements. That is where all the value of humanity lies: in art.

Denis Duttons Seven Universal Signatures in Human Aesthetics

1. Expertise or virtuosity Technical skills are cultivated, recognized, and admired. 2. Non-utilitarian pleasure Art is enjoyed for its own sake, and not because it has a practical application. 3. Style Art satisfies certain rules of composition that places it them in a recognizable style.

Denis Duttons(cont.)
4. Criticism People judge, appreciate, interpret, and discuss works of art. 5. Imitation Works of art simulate the experiences of the world, though music and abstract art are exempted from this. 6. Special focus Art is set aside from ordinary life, and is the focus of a certain experience. 7. Imagination The artist and the audience entertain hypothetical worlds in the theater of imagination.

Some Problems with Denis Dutton

Some contemporary artists make use of objects that are ready-made, but are used as art objects, like Duchamps The Fountain. This goes against Duttons idea that art must involve technical skill, since using ready-made objects does not exactly require skill. Certain objects can be appreciated for their aesthetic appeal, even if those objects did have a specific purpose for example, a Renaissance painting of a Madonna can be appreciated aesthetically, but it also serves a purpose as a religious image.

Some Problems(cont.)
There are certain artworks, like composer John Cages piece 433, that do not follow the rules of a composition, and yet are considered art. Imagination does not belong to artists alone: physicists can entertain hypothetical worlds in their heads when working on theories.