1. One key concept mentioned in the article is “representation,” and/or “imitation.

” The Greek
philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, offered the concept of “mimesis” in dealing with poetry and
performance. How do these concepts- representation, imitation and mimesis- define art?
These concepts (representation, imitation and mimesis) define art. Consider the Gustave
Courbet painting “The Stonebreakers” below; in what way that this work exemplifies mimesis
or representation?

Plato and Aristotle considered imitation, or "mimesis," to be the essence of art. For them, art is
a reflection of reality. Mimesis is a term that is frequently applied to imitations and representations. Art
is frequently considered a "representation" of anything. Whether it is mimicking other people's life or
just expressing how the artist feels. We may observe how mimesis is represented in Gustave Courbet's
painting "The Stonebreakers." The artist is mimicking two peasants smashing stones in the painting. This
work of art, in Plato's opinion, might be interpreted as an imitation or portrayal of real people at work. It
is what the artist sees that inspires him to paint. In Aristotle's opinion, however, what this art must
imitate is something universal. As a result, while this picture imitates society, particularly peasant life, it
does not imply that peasants are all stone crushers.

Another depiction of the painting is the way peasants work for a living. The people in the
artwork are drawn in such a way that the setting is readily discernible. In the image, two people are
physically smashing stones. This demonstrates how individuals who make a livelihood doing this work.
Although there is no movement in the artwork, signals such as the standing person holding a large
boulder and the other person wielding a sledgehammer provide us with enough information to
understand what the picture is attempting to convey. Aside from the subjects' position, the lighting and
shadows, as well as the subjects' employment, are all in play. The notion of mimesis, or representation,
is embodied by all of them in an artwork.

What about your ‘selfie”? How would you characterize it?

In the sense that it catches every small detail of a scene, a selfie, or in general photography,
precisely recreates a scenario from reality. This is art because it imitates a real-life situation and may be
classified as a work of art only for this reason if defined according to Plato's definition. However,
Aristotle's definition may differ since a picture might be shot in a flash without further thought, making
it a random copy rather than good art. According to Aristotle, a bad art is a simple, plain replica of the
tangible world. Even if it closely matches the subject, a hastily taken selfie - that is, nothing more than a
snapped digital duplicate of one's bodily picture - cannot be called excellent art. We are not just
producing a straight replica of the external world when we imitate it; we are also building a new way of
perceiving and evaluating the world around us. As a result, Aristotle believes that excellent art must be
well-considered, with all aspects contributing to the overall picture.

2. If art is defined as representation, does it consider other art forms like instrumental music or
the so-called abstract art, like the painting below by Wassily Kandinsky?

Abstract art forms and instrumental music are
representation. Only those who seek to replicate nature,
deemed art in the case of mimesis. While abstract art may
more toward expressionism and appeals to the audience's
music appeals to the formalists.
excluded from the definition of art as
society, or human form and activity are
serve a representational function, it tends
emotional reaction, whereas instrumental
 3. Art as “expression.” Among the key concepts, this is likely the well-known dimension of art.
You hear people say, “I paint (or dress) this way to express myself.” How does ‘expression’
relate to the artistic process, in general, or the artist, in particular? How does this compare
with art as representation?

Art as expression connects the artist's moods and feelings, as well as his or her whole
personality, to the painting, which represents their psyche. Expression is the process of turning
intangible ideas into tangible objects. The act of expressing oneself is the same as the act of describing
oneself. As a result, one may fully convey his message to his audience by expressing himself through the
items he has. It is similar to art as mimesis in that topics from the world of senses are realized, then
liquefied into a work of art, whereas art as expression begins as an idea, then takes shape in the artist's
work of art. When an artist is melancholy, for example, his work may have blue or black shade with solid
lines, but when he is joyful or tense, his work may contain warm and zigzag lines. It doesn't matter if it
makes no sense because it is a subjective definition of art. This differs from art as representation, which
looks outward and seeks to replicate something from the outside world, and there is only one ideal
depiction of that outside world that all artworks aspire to recreate.

4. If art is framed from a formalist perspective, how is it viewed or defined from this standpoint?
In the article, the art historian Clive Bell mentioned the notion of “significant form,” what
composes form, then. For example, consider the three artworks below:

Art as formalism examines art as art in and of itself, rather than as a depiction of anything.
Formalism is concerned with the aesthetics of art rather than its narrative substance or link to reality.
The paintings on display were to be judged or admired only on the basis of their forms, such as line,
shape and form, color, space, and texture, according to the formalist perspective. According to a
formalist, art is self-contained and should defend itself. Significant form, according to Clive Bell, is
defined as a shape that elicits emotional responses.

What similarities and differences do they share as to form? Is Bell’s characterization,

applicable to all art forms, like folk arts, sculpture, architecture, and the like?

The three paintings have a similar important shape in that they elicit comparable feelings via the
use of line and color combinations. Even without knowing who the artists are, we can tell that the three
paintings on display speak of maternal love. The curves of the lines utilized depict the mother's love and
caring for her children. The color combination is warm and comforting, reminding us of our mother's
affection. They're all painted in warm tones on a cold-toned background and depict a lady escorting a
youngster in close proximity, the child apparently being theirs. The artists employ pastel or oil paint on a
canvas as their medium, and they use virtually identical brush strokes or handling lines and forms. These
three paintings differ in that they were made utilizing various color palettes or color schemes. It's also
worth noting that none of the artworks have any sharp edges. Bell's description may be applied to every
type of artwork that has a shape, and it even extends outside the realm of visual art.

5. If art is defined within the ambit of “aesthetics,” whether as “aesthetic object,” or “aesthetic
experience,” how is art viewed from this perspective? Consider the photograph below: Is it
art? Or is it nature? Is aesthetic experience possible in both art and nature? If yes, what do
you look for if art if it is defined from an aesthetic dimension? Is there an overlap with art as
formalism here?
 The aesthetic definition of art is based on appreciation, and to enjoy something as a "artwork" is
to find experiencing it as a "artwork" to be important in and of itself; how it activates someone's senses
to pay attention to that artwork. As an example, it is essentially natural, yet it may be called art if
someone enjoyed it because the experience of gazing at it helped them "feel" it and fulfilled them.
Aesthetic experience is attainable in both art and nature, and how it is regarded aesthetically varies
from person to person due to the experience it provides, unlike formalism, which assesses art as a whole
and not as a subjective experience. However, aesthetically attractive work may necessitate
defamiliarization, which is related to the idea of formalism.

6. Following the influence of the philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein, art as a concept eludes
definition because it is “open-textured.” Instead, it is classified based on “family
resemblances.” What does this mean vis-à-vis the definition of art? Hence, how is art viewed
from an anti-essentialist framework?

Concepts connected to this framework must be explored in order to comprehend the anti-
essentialist approach of art. Art, according to Wittgenstein, has no specific characteristic that defines it
as such. Art's rebellious, subversive, and creative character avoids this and allows for an open concept.
They label it "open-textured" since no one criterion can be used in every circumstance. So, rather than
defining what art is, we must describe art by describing artworks and linking them to one another in
order to comprehend it. The notion of familial resemblances in connection to the definition of art states
that a work is art if it is comparable to another work of art. Anti-essentialism sees art as something that
can't be defined but can be recognized.

7. The article also highlighted the philosophy of two thinkers- Arthur Danto and George Dickie.
How do the two scholars define art relative to these considerations: the role of the art world,
the significance of interpretation and the view art of as artifact? In what way, they share
similarities and differences?

In contrast to George's artworld, which is more non-functional and institutional, Danto's

artworld is more historical and functional. According to Danto, an artwork is regarded to be art if it
displays a concealed message that can be interpreted by others and is part of the historical context of
art. Dickie, on the other hand, believes that there is a certain institution that makes up the artwork, and
that they provide artworks a position of admiration in order for them to be considered art. The
importance of interpretation is evident in both conceptions of art, but Danto's philosophy emphasizes it
more. According to Danto, an artwork must have the artist's point of view as well as an audience
interpretation that fills in the gaps left by the artist's point of view. Dickie solely utilized interpretation to
determine who the artworld's audience is. Dickie's philosophy includes the concept of art as an artifact.
An artifact is a human-made thing that Dickie believes is required for an artwork to be considered art.
Danto, on the other hand, believes that using displayed property, art and non-art cannot be
differentiated from one another, and so the idea of art as an artifact is irrelevant.

8. In 1917, the French artist Marcel Duchamp, known for his readymades, exhibited a urinal
entitled, “The Fountain,” which he signed as R. Mutt. See photo below: How does this ‘art
work’ contribute to the definition of art?

Duchamp's artwork attempted to reinvent art as an intellectual rather than a tangible activity. It
proposes that art does not require any emphasis on the end result, nor does it require any unique ability
or talent to make, by using common things as media for communicating the artists' thoughts. It also
departs from the conventional wisdom that art must be original and adhere to our criteria of what is
visually attractive. Along with Duchamp's other 'readymades,' this contentious sculpture altered the way
people thought about art. From a means of stimulating the senses to a means of communicating ideas.
Art becomes work done by the artist in the service of the intellect at this stage. It subsequently became
a hot topic among the general public, and, while not as simple as it seems, it sparked the idea that
everyday objects might be chosen by an artist to be a work of art - it questioned the status quo and
paved the way for a new definition of art.

9. Hence, after Danto, Dickie and Duchamp, can any object become an art work? Is the board
eraser you see in the classroom an art object? If we agree to say it is not, then, does it have a
‘chance’ to become an art work? How and why?

Anything may be turned into a work of art. That is, if an artist regards it as such. Inside the
classroom, the board eraser is not yet art. The board eraser has no inherent significance, especially
when considered only in terms of its function. It does, however, have a collection of qualities that can
lead to many interpretations, which, according to Danto, can turn an everyday thing into an art piece.
However, an everyday thing may be transformed into an artwork simply by the decision of an artist,
provided that this “artist” understands how to create art and that this object was presented to the
public as a piece of art.

10. What did the whole exercise teach you about art as a concept?

As I work on the activity, I discover that there are several viewpoints on how we enjoy and
critique art, but I am able to synthesize all of these concepts to build a basis for a better knowledge of
what art truly is. The entire activity teaches us about how to recognize and classify art in the context of
many interpretations of art. It assists us in deepening our understanding of genuine art by identifying
the sufficient and necessary conditions for the veracity of the assertion that an object is an artwork. Art
is a broad and enigmatic notion. Many individuals have attempted to define art, yet no definite
definition exists. It evolves from time to time because individuals change from time to time as well.
There's this definition of art that we can't seem to grasp, allowing us to interpret it in a variety of ways.
It would be more useful to think of these art "definitions" as our "knowledge" of what art is. At the
present, one concept of art is insufficient since it would embrace one while simultaneously excluding
another. Art as a notion necessitates extended periods of research, philosophizing, and criticism,
rejecting the prevalent belief that art is less complicated than science, that art is all fun and games, and
that art is a “easy” topic.