Theories of Art and Inquiries on Art

Jerimaiah James E. Dusong

1. Describe your feeling whenever you encounter a work of art.

As someone with a rather empathic and creative side that overwhelms me most
of the time, whenever I encounter art, I not only see the experience as a mere
seeing of art, but ultimately as an activity of creative participation; that I end up
participating in the art itself. A feeling of excitement and enthusiasm arises within
me, but not because my eyes are trained in the study of the arts, or that I can
scholarly and scientifically observe, assess and examine works of art such as
paintings and poetry; far from it, in fact. Rather, this feeling of excitement comes
from the simple anticipation of me being able to explore yet another world
unlocked by simply encountering the work of art that offers itself to my viewing
and knowing. The very desire to appreciate this work of art presented before me,
without neither the exertion of straining intellectual effort nor the plain and
mindless “seeing” of something, enables me to actually participate in this whole
creative enterprise, to actually see it, and hear it, and feel it, and know it, and
touch and taste and smell it, become a part of it through its imagery and appeal
to the imagination and emotion - all this without the tedious activity nor the blank
idleness. Appreciating the art that offers itself to my viewing is not work in itself
but leisure, a wholesome and healthy activity that is in itself a satisfactory end,
and that end would be to sate my search for beauty, honor, wisdom, and virtue in
life. And the fact that upon encountering this art, it does not limit itself to the
confines and colors of the canvas, nor the pages of novels and texts, but that her
messages and musings, ideals and insights all leap forth towards you from the
bounds of the piece, as if greeting us and appealing to our senses, sensibilities
and sensations, tells us that an activity as regular and mundane as simply seeing
artworks in an exhibit or museum - without the tedious preoccupation of the
meticulous art student or critic, and without the unfocused, uninterested „mind-
elsewhere‟ inclinations of the uncultured fellow either - is a sublime encounter
with virtue, one that awakes in us sentiments of joy and enthusiasm. It can be
 simply considered an activity of leisure, of both a philosophical and creative
nature.

2. Where should the contemplation of art be situated? Should it be in the activity of

work or leisure? Why?
In my concluding statement for the previous question, I stated the following; “[Art-
viewing] can be simply considered an activity of leisure, of both a philosophical
and creative nature.” I said this as it reflects the truth of the Arts herself in
general, and the participation of the arts in particular which includes the creation
of our own works and the contemplation of her beautiful ideals and principles. I
believe that it is not unfounded to claim the Arts as the Muse of Wisdom, and the
beauty of philosophy realized; she is ultimately an ideal sufficient in and of
herself, a goal to aspire towards and an end to achieve instead of a medium
towards the ideal. Since philosophy is more or less the same, a never-ending
end and search for the end instead of just another one mean towards one in
many other ends, that philosophy is a way of life towards a meaningful end, she
is also none other than an example of the creative activity of leisure itself; abiding
by this analogy, the contemplation of the arts is therefore a creative activity, an
activity of leisure. Participation and involvement in the arts, regardless of the
intensity, frequency, manner and form which our involvement falls under, is
ultimately an act of leisure. One can say however, and this is also partly true, that
involvement in the arts requires from us mastery of artistic styles and techniques,
a familiarity of its elements, genres, principles and themes, and on certain
occasions a rational and pragmatic worldview to make of one‟s art an effective
medium of expression and communication, so with this said can we argue that
the arts is a laborious act of work instead? To this I say no, for even the skillful
professionalism included in the arts is an integral part of the creative process;
only in recent history has it been distorted to mean mindless, output-oriented
“toxic workaholism”, devoid of an actual soul, now focused on the crude
manufacture of quantity, scientific and cold numbers, instead of prioritizing her
 time-honored purpose of instilling virtue, espousing beauty and the ideal, and
ultimately her main role of fulfilling our need for creative leisure.

3. Should a work of art be valued solely for its utility? Why?

Carrying on with where I left off from the previous question, the answer to this
quintessential question lies with that noble purpose of which art is supposed to
fulfill and be oriented towards; the pursuit of leisure and the penultimate end and
ideal for all things beautiful. If not this noble purpose, then the “work” can hardly
be considered art, but simply work for itself, a tool that has a specific end instead
of an end that satisfies itself and is oriented for its own sake. A mere medium of
“practical value”, a mere product catered solely to be profitable, specifically
tailored for the market. It is not grounded on the roots of noble virtue and
tradition, it honors nothing else but quantity, profit, utility and benefit, and
conforms to no other principle but that of the trends instead of beauty, valor,
grace, courage and the values that follow therein. Instead of satisfying in us the
hunger and the grave need to feed on rich philosophical, therapeutic, and
creative goods, as art satisfies all three of these things, if we value an artwork
solely for its utility, how economical could it be once it materializes, what
monetary benefits one can reap from it, then I‟m afraid what was made here is no
creative activity but a mere manufacturing of products, akin to that of a factory.
And do not get me wrong, this is not a wrong practice per se, but this is different
altogether and cannot be considered art; it is simply put, a work removed from
art, art removed from work, not meant for leisure but to be sold and profited as a
source of livelihood and income. Also, although artworks can also technically be
sources of income and be seen in an economic and pragmatic viewpoint, do not
mistake it to be your priority in making art. Do not make it as the central theme of
activity once you participate in the creation and contemplation of the arts. Hence,
the answer to this question is a no, you can‟t just value art solely for its utilitarian
purpose because it is just not what it is. Products and pursuits that we can view
mainly and solely for its utility and practicality are called tools, materials,
mediums that fulfill a specific use. A hammer or a chair are classified as such,
 you use them as means to an end instead of being the ends themselves. When
one makes pottery and woodwork, the question of whether it is an art or not
depends if the very activity and the artwork that results from it is primarily an end
of its own meant to nourish the philosophical, creative/artistic and therapeutic
elements of the human soul, therefore imbuing a life and soul to these works in
order that it also imparts the same life and soul to the viewer that encounters it;
or when it‟s just meant to be a local livelihood and source of income towards
better living conditions perhaps. Treating Art solely for her utilitarian purpose
strips her of her very spirit and heartbeat, her role of imparting upon us virtues
and sentiments of beauty and grace, her identity as an end in and of herself, an
ideal to strive for. Treating Art solely for her utilitarian purpose makes her no
different from every other product sold at the market and manufacture made from
the workshop, removing from her the artist‟s spirit, love and passion which she‟s
been imbued with, and the heart of the culture she‟s supposed to represent.

4. What is the significance of treating contemplation as an act of leisure to

philosophy, or aesthetics in particular?
Now that all of this has been said regarding art, we finally address the
significance of contemplation, and of art and aesthetics specifically, to leisure
and philosophy. I would like to begin this concluding answer with a concluding
statement, in relation to the previous questions, and the question on treating art
for utility‟s sake alone; “A work of art is not the mere work of labor, unlike the
fruits of other human duties and pursuits, but it is first and foremost a creative
activity, meant for the teaching of virtue telos and aspiring to the ideal
eudaimonia. You must be looking for a product to sell or a tool to use for a
specific purpose, not an art piece to serve as the ideal for an otherwise dying
world to strive for.” Treating art like any other product or medium, when it is again
clearly an end and ideal of its own, is a self-defeating endeavor; it is like trying to
train a fish to walk. It is in this realization that we begin to appreciate art in and of
itself, valuing its worth more than how expensive it must be to buy it or how
profitable it would be to sell one. And so it is in realizations such as these that we
begin to understand the tremendous significance that the virtue of contemplation
plays in the pursuit of philosophy, of aesthetics in particular, and in every other
human activity basically. How a life unexamined is a life not worth living indeed!
For this very reason, art and activity, may it be the creative recreation and
necessary relaxation offered by leisure or the productive and systemic work of
labour, all demand a carefully formed and informed deliberation and decision-
making after all. Contemplation empowers choice, contemplation educates our
choice, examines and enlightens it; for it must be the beginning of all our choices
and that ending which we must orient all our actions towards after all. And since
we are rational and moral agents of full agency - that is the agency of intellect
(reason), free will (choices/decision), the senses (emotion) and an orientation
towards the good and virtuous (devotion) - each one of us individual persons are
invited, and involved whether we know and like it or not, to a daily life of
contemplation and philosophizing. The art of contemplation - yes, it is an art for it
takes into consideration the diverse and creative themes and elements of human
life - helps us understand the illustrious position that the Arts occupies among the
pursuits of philosophy and thought, as the Well and Maiden of Wisdom and the
Clear Mirror of Culture. Lastly, it is constant contemplation that makes us realize
the role that leisure and the arts play in our own busy, modern lives.