Unit 3.3 Redefining art * How do you define ‘art’? * Develop a greater appreciation for various forms > What tha punpose of art? of artistic expression * How should literature be taught andhowcan _—-«*-‘Be able to articulate and express opinions about art. you learn to appreciate it? ‘What is art*What is the purpose of art?”"How is art ch Art is a never-ending conversation about identity, values and belief, ‘Word bank This unit encourages you to both define and redefine ‘art’ for yourself, and to consider the value value Getting started aesthetic 3.1 ‘Is this art?’ Below are several images a. For cach one, discuss with a classmate whether interpretation fr not each qualifies as ‘art’, according to your definition of art, In your discussion, feel free to compare images. Use the words from the word bank sconent a The Lascaux Cave paintings, France aa b A photograph of the Milky Way, taken by the Hubble Telescope collect © A flash mob performance (a seemingly random performance by a group of people ina large hibit public place, often organised through social medi imagination A sonnet by William Shakespeare experience © TheTaj Mahal in Agra, India vision £ A marble bust of Julius Caesar made recently, for sale on Etsy.com fone criticism thee toa Ea ‘Thon art more lovely more: apeitins a appreciate imitate curate 151Human ingenuity & Marcel Duchamp’ ‘Fountain’ hh A Coca-Cola advertisement TOK A chair designed by Charles and Ray Eames In your TOK class, you 2 y will explore the arts as an j_ Strectart by Banksy, which has been removed from a wall and placed in a museum area of knowledge (AoK). kA basketball player making.a three-point shot from centre court just before the buzzer to win a Activity 3.1 asks you to game by one point answer the question ‘This 1 “The John Lennon Peace Wall’, place in Prague where everyone can draw peace and love is art?’ As you define art, themed graft you may discuss: ‘+ the value that people attach to an art work the technique of the artist the artist's ability to apply a skill or technique the artist's intention or purpose + the novelty of the work + the art work's aesthetic qualities, or its sheer beauty the viewer or reader's emotional response or interpretation. Make sure you know EA the meaning of each of NER TOILE these words. Check inthe Open-minded glossary at the end of the book for the meaning of any you don’t know. The IB encourages you to be open-minded. This trait is particularly relevant to this unit, where you are asked to redefine your ideas about art. As the IB states in their learner profile, you should ‘seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and [be] willing to grow from the experience.’ Analysing, evaluating and even creating art are all activities that help you to become more open-minded. 3.2 The images from Activity 3.1yaik you about the Yelationb ‘ween art and other fields of expertise. Using the list of words 2-j below, discuss your answers to the following question: “What isthe difference between art and, ‘Are these forms of art, or do they have something in common with the arts. a design architecture © grafic engineering © craft £ sport & photography hh desktop publishing i graphic design J performing ars 3,3 Take a look at the images from Activity 3.1 that you did NOT consider to be art. Ask yourselfUnder what circumstances, or in which context might this item be considered as art? 152SSS EXTRA Activities 3.1-3.4 ask you to define art through a study of examples. Perhaps the definition of ‘artis not black or white. There might be many graduations of grey in between ‘a Tiyrrating images 2-1 on a scale of 1-10, where 10 indicates that the image is, most definitely art, and 1 that the image is most definitely not art. b When you have done this, make your own list of examples that ‘might be art’, and which fall into this grey area between ‘art’ and ‘not art’. ¢ Share your list with a classmate and see how he or she rates each item. 3.4 Aficr your discussions in Activities 3.1-3.3, write a definition of at that expresses your own opinion. Write your definition on a sticky note and place it on a wall along with those of your classmates, for everyone to read. Compare and contrst everyone's definitions and leave them on the wall asa reminder while you work on this unit, Watch and listen Q ® 3.5 In the previous activities, you made your own definition of what artis. Now take a moment and write a short answer to the question:" What is art for?” Share your answers with your classmates. As a clas, decide on the five best reasons why people need to create and consume art. 3.6 In the box below are several words taken fiom the video ‘What is dt for?’ Before you watch the video, use the words from the box to fill in the blanks in the sentences that follow. Look up the meanings of any words that you do not already know stifle. ascribe energise aggravate. = weigh condition drawn to flock to visible tease out = extraordinary close. glamorous, regret awkward depress fie. = stiff rounded vital People ... museums b There wasa(n) ..silence, Maybe we can ... purposes to art. ao We nced prety things ..0 us Problems ... so heavily on people There i alot of sadness and ... hat we cannot express. Art makes our pain more ... and accessible rR Sad works do not have to ... us Pain is part of the human Art fights the .. optimism of commercial society ee Every good life has .. amounts of suffering. Unit 3.3 Redefining art cas The ‘C’ in CAS is for creativity. Being creative helps you grow as an individual. Displays of creativity can enrich the lives of others. To fulfill part of your CAS requirement, consider how you yourself can develop and enrich the lives of others by being creative or encouraging others to be creative. If you have a talent, how ‘can you share it? —____ TP Activity 3.6, a ‘ill in the blank’ activity, can be made easier for you. Study all of the words in the box and label them ‘verb’, ‘noun’, ‘adjective’, or ‘other’ (if you do not know). Then read the questions and ask yourself what kind of word is missing from each sentence? Now your list is much shorter, and if you don't know the meaning of @ Word, you now have a much better chance of guessing correctly! ‘Applying this method to this type of question in ‘an exam situation can help make the questions easier for you. 153cas If you agree with Alain de Botton that art is something needed by people, then you might Want to organise an art exhibition for ‘people in need’. These do not have to be poor people, but people in a place without much art. Perhaps there is a drab part of town that would benefit from a mural. Perhaps there is a home for senior citizens that could be brightened up for the residents. Perhaps the hallways of your schoo! look bare and uninteresting, Think of opportunities, together with your CAS coordinator, to liven up somewhere with some inspiring artwork. 154 Human ingenuity 1 Weshould not ... sadness by thinking we are losers m We are ...art because is compensates us for what we lack nn Archelps us feel more © Archelps us get in touch with the pain and drama that we have had to P_ What a society call "beautiful is a... clue to what itis missing in socicty 4. Some artists can make geass or oranges look F Artists can .. something that has been neglected in society s Artcan... people for a cause. £ People sometimes get... and lose their spontaneity around famous people 3.7 Search forthe film "What is art for? Alain de Botton’ animated guide, Are and design’ by Guardian Culture. As you watch the film, take notes on your answers to the questions below. When its finished, write out your answers thoroughly Why are people scared to answer the question: What is art for? 1b Why does prottiness matter? © Why are somber works of art important? 4 Why does the video include a scale © According to Alain de Botton, why do whole societies sometimes fall in love with a particular art style £ Why do Van Gogh's oranges appear on the red carpet in the video? & How is art like propaganda? hh Why should we ‘relax’ around art? And how should we ‘use’ it? 3.8 After watching Alain de Botton’s video, return to your ty 3.5. How similar were his ideas to your answers from Act reasons for why people need art? Alain de Botton is a popular, contemporary philosopher who writes and speaks about topics such as art and love. 3.9 You ae going o listen to Audio tack 9, about fictional ‘vlogge’ (a video blogges) who pulls a prank on exclusive are dealers in London, by selling chem prints fom a leading furniture @ Might prints from the ‘art’ department of any large home-decorating store, have artistic value? b How would you convince an exclusive art dea is valuable? chat a print from a furniture storeUnit 3.3 Redefining art ¢ sit ethically permissible to film someone and post the film on the Internet without his or her consent? Are art dealers better at assessing the value of artwork than you? Are art dealers entitled to earn more on the sale of an artwork than the artist? £ Can pranks or stunts be considered as performing arts? g Could something be considered as art’if it serves a commercial purpose, like spreadin, brand awareness? What does the word ‘hypocrisy’ mean to you? Audio track 9 asks you to think about the value of art. How scientific is this process of attaching a price tag to an artwork? 3.10 Listen to.) Aucio track 9. Listen carefully for words with the meanings in sentences oj These meanings ae listed in the same order as the words appear in the recording, Read the before listening to the recording, and make guesses where you think you already know the answer.As you listen to the recording, write your ansy You do not have to spell the words correctly at first.You can correct them later. Share your answers with your teacher and classmates, Listen to the recording again to check you a Thisis term used to describe a video or commercial that has travelled the internet quickly like a virus b- This san adjective to describe an act that makes fun of human behaviour. € This word is used for people who create their own business. _ This word is an antonym (or opposite) of fake © Thisis another word for a mastermind or incredibly clever person. £ This word is used to refer to an entire system that has been in place for yeas. g This verb means having copied content and distributed it for free, or a lower price than the original hy This is what you call people who are fake or phony. i This word describes someone who is honourable J This word means informative or educational, 3.11 After listening to Audio track 9, return to your answers from Activity 3.9. Have your answers to those questions changed at all? Ifs0, how? Discuss the questions your classmates 155