SORIANO, SOPHIA VERONICA D.

ARTS1-C1
SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

Stecker’s attempt in giving a full shape for the definition of art revolved mainly around the
concepts of meaning making, expression, form, aesthetic, intention and function. His way of
connecting relationships between different ideas of various philosophers made a horizon about art
and not. However, the full packed thoughts from different persons created an image in my mind.
It is just somehow, blurry. This is where Guillermo’s presence comes through.
Both articles have its own way of giving colors to the definition of art. However, on a
personal note, I had a much easier path taken with Guillermo than Stecker. Culture might be a
factor since Stecker used ideas, all of which rooted from the Western side. It was much more
broken down with Guillermo’s article. In addition to that, she also introduced a new perspective;
elaborating more the work of Stecker.
Meaning is, most often than not, contained in a work of art. Every piece refers to one thing
or another. The interpretation becomes the lens that enables the readers to see on the point of view
of the artist; allowing them to see the things that pushed through on to making the work (Stecker:
146; Danto 1981:135). Additionally, this meaning should not always be expected to be one
cohesive whole. In Guillermo’s stand, there are times that elements present in an artwork may
contradict each other (Guillermo:2). Thus, when this happens, it does not automatically eliminate
one to be an artwork. Just like how there are a lot of events that might happen in our daily lives, it
just poses the number of possibilities that could work on that specific art. It is not confined in one
certain meaning.
Guillermo went on discussing how art is an “open work,” that there is communication
between the artwork and the audience/ viewer. Similarly, art is said to have a significant link with
communication (Stecker:138). Just like in communication, there is an exchange and process of
relaying the information from one to another. But in art, there is no single meaning being confined
to; unlike the goal of communication which is to achieve the understanding of one meaning.
Despite that, it still creates common traits between the two; that there is a process and it needs to
have a context. Indicated in Stecker’s, according to Plato, art is a representation or mimicry of
things in the real world (Stecker:137). In line with that, Guillermo discussed that art contains the
elements that can also be referred to reality (2). Art has this element of having society and history
context, and social phenomenon (in the interaction between a work and the viewer, having its own
values, creating a different kind of impact aside from its aesthetics) as its solid foundation. It is
where it is rooted. In contrast, it is not what it really is. Guillermo also introduced in the light the
strategy of “defamiliarization” wherein one should take a step back to the norm in order to get
what really it is (3). There are elements that refer to real life, but it does not necessarily contain
the real events happening in the context of the artist; for it is just a “human construct and the result
of the process” (3).
The most important point that Guillermo has made is how our country has been suppressed
of the art it should belong to. Because of the hundred of years being colonized by the different
countries of which brought and introduced to us different cultures that we later on have adopted,
we have somehow neglected that we really had our own. The coming of the art of the Western
created this patriarchal part in the artworld, distinguishing high art and low art (Guillermo:5).
That’s why Guillermo pointed out the need to invest ourselves to the kind of art and culture we
really belong to. It is important to maintain our stand as Filipinos a mixture of both the West and
our very own Southeast Asian culture.