As Larry Shiner mentions in his book The Invention of Art, the “category of fine art is a recent historical construction” (5). Defined here as the tendency to focus more on aesthetics than on context or purpose (art for art’s sake, per se), the concept of fine art was universalized by the Europeans. To legitimize the term, they “ascribe[d] it to the ancient Chinese and Egyptians, [later…] discover[ing] that the conquered peoples of Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific had all along possessed something called primitive art” (3). The ever-broadening use of this term, however, has led society to perform irrational deeds. In the example of so-called primitive art, for instance, tourists provide a major source of revenue for people in indigenous societies, who sell ritualistic objects to eager Europeans yearning for a taste of other cultures. …show more content…
Are items created for profit physically any different from their “authentic” counterparts? At an atomic level, perhaps, but the untrained eyes of most tourists would probably not find any dissimilarities between a mass-produced mask and a more “authentic” one. Yet we as a society treat economically motivated primitive art as different from the primitive art actually used in rituals, which indicates that economic motivations can definitely influence our perceptions of art. This realization still brings us back to the question posed in the last paragraph, however: why would people treat Renaissance art as valuable and advertising as beneath their notice if both have economic motivations behind their
How can a person reach back into the past and retrieve the criminal events of sixty years ago? Read the works provided in “Art from the Ashes,” and wait; wait for words to explode onto an emotionally unprepared mind with enough force to awaken previously dormant areas of one’s psychological capacity. One can then begin to understand. Lawrence L. Langer’s introduction provides keys to open doors of impossibility, to expand sympathy, and to venture into the dark corners of an individual’s capabilities. He reminds us not to mistake true experiences for “an alien world of fantasy” or to look for triumph of love over hate (Langer 4). The stories he has selected for this anthology “gaze[] into the depths without flinching” (Langer 5). They must also “discover and accept the twisted features of the unfamiliar without searching for words, like ‘suffering’” (Langer 6). His main principals of selection, however, include “artistic quality, intellectual rigor, and physical integrity of the texts.” The works chosen by Langer must be academically appealing but still be able “to liberate responses on the deepest levels of psychological, mental, emotional, and aesthetic concerns” (Langer 8). The following stories represent the approaches and difficulties put forward by Langer: “The Key Game” by Ida Fink, “Spring Morning” also by Ida Fink, and “Poem About a Herring” by Abraham Sutzkever. In these works, characters yearning to exist fully are placed in critical situations where they are always faced with the constant anticipation of death. The striking shortness of time is an always present force facing the characters.
Long before Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic to the ‘New World’, the Western Hemisphere had already divided and developed civilizations. Some of these civilizations were extremely advanced for the time. As people settled in the Americas and developed cultures, so did differences in the life styles, religions, and art of these peoples. The cultures of Mesoamerica, South America, and North America all developed many different types of art, most notably ceramics and larger scale items that still baffle historians today.
Art can mean many different things to many different people and was one of the earliest ways in which man has expressed him or herself to others, whether it was through cave drawings or hieroglyphics. It does not begin or end with just drawing or painting, items typically considered art, or the many other recognized facets of art including architecture, drama, literature, sculpting, and music. My research is based on Vincent van Gogh art, and two art paintings that I choose to study is The Starry Night, 1889, and the second art is The Sower 1888. Vincent van Gogh’s is known for Impressionism, that occurs to us in these times, much more to affirm close links with tradition, and to represent
Imagine pondering into a reconstruction of reality through only the visual sense. Without tasting, smelling, touching, or hearing, it may be hard to find oneself in an alternate universe through a piece of art work, which was the artist’s intended purpose. The eyes serve a much higher purpose than to view an object, the absorptions of electromagnetic waves allows for one to endeavor on a journey and enter a world of no limitation. During the 15th century, specifically the Early Renaissance, Flemish altarpieces swept Europe with their strong attention to details. Works of altarpieces were able to encompass significant details that the audience may typically only pay a cursory glance. The size of altarpieces was its most obvious feat but also its most important. Artists, such as Jan van Eyck, Melchior Broederlam, and Robert Campin, contributed to the vast growth of the Early Renaissance by enhancing visual effects with the use of pious symbols. Jan van Eyck embodied the “rebirth” later labeled as the Renaissance by employing his method of oils at such a level that he was once credited for being the inventor of oil painting. Although van Eyck, Broederlam, and Campin each contributed to the rise of the Early Renaissance, van Eyck’s altarpiece Adoration of the Mystic Lamb epitomized the artworks produced during this time period by vividly incorporating symbols to reconstruct the teachings of Christianity.
When we hear the word “Art” certain images come to mind. We think of great masterpieces of epic battles, and cathedral walls depicting angels and demons. This however, is a very small part of the art of the world. One form of artwork has been seen in every civilization, on every continent; Folk art. Folk art at its root is art including paintings, textiles, furniture, and carvings done by a country's indigenous people. These pieces are often functional, and serve a purpose on top of being aesthetically pleasing.The techniques used by these people are often passed down generation to generation, and originate in the community itself. This means most of the artisans do not have any formal training in their craft. Many took apprenticeships, or learned from watching village elders.
Thoughts about art changed and evolved in many ways over time. Efland’s The History of Art Education: Intellectual and Social Currents in Teaching the Visual Arts offers a concise history of art education, chronicling its changes and evolutions. In chapters two and three, Efland begins with attitudes towards art in the Hellenistic time period and moves forward through the Roman Empire, Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Industrial Revolution. According to Efland, during the Hellenistic time period, owning artwork related to status, to a degree, yet the artist was not considered to be an esteemed profession. The primary role of Roman education was to prepare individuals to work for the state. As a result, visual art did not play a role in formal educational practice. Moving forward in time to the Middle Ages, life revolved around faith. While art did play a role in the lives of the people, it was in the form of craft guilds. The apprentice system became more prevalent during this time period as well. It was not until the Renaissance that craft and art became separate entities. Although fine art was stressed more in the educational setting, and students were taught formal skills during this time period, it...
What is art? Art is the self-expression of someone of something that shows the hidden or underlying emotions that are found within the unconscious mind. Art has been around for centuries (“Merriam-Webster”). Normally, art would tell stories of past events which were significant to that culture. This could include things such as hunts and sacrifices to please the gods. As people and humanity started to evolve and become more civilized, art started to transform and take on a new appearance as well. From being a story prop to something that is more abstract; art started to become more and more important in the lives of people. During the renaissance in Europe, many new artists and ways of thinking emerged and became the main-stream way of thinking. Many of those artist are household names such as Vincent Van Gogh and Leonardo da Vinci . They transformed art from what it was to how we see it today (Belliveau). Jumping forward from the renaissance to the 1960’s, you have artists emerge such as Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollok. They pushed the boundaries of art and how it was perceived in society (American Art Therapy Association).
More in depth, the entire concept of art and what is art differs in the world of the nonliterate societies. This is the first rule that needs to be analyzed. In addition to, the objects westerners view as art is actually a small piece to a bigger puzzle. To the Natives, the overall puzzle or purpose is to created and stabilize the cosmic order in which they live in. It is through this process of rituals and sacred ceremonies to keep order that objects are created of beauty, but for bigger reason. Not to hang on a wall or leave behind a glass case; but rather, keeping order and doing away with chaos that could destroy their existence.
The past history have a huge impact on the future. From the ancient art history until current years it is safe to say that the art changed drastically, it shows that people nowadays have different values, styles and priorities in life. The past teaches people about the future and helps to avoid mistakes. In the Paleolithic period, where folks were focusing on hunting and gathering, where everyday life was dynamic, meaning they were moving from one place to another in search of better resources (Upper Paleolithic, 28) to Mesopotamian period where things were more certain and people liked to stay in one place. Paleolithic period did not consist of writing which is the main reason people can only guess and interpret the culture based on their own guesses what was the society like back then.
In the article “Conditions of Trade,” Michael Baxandall explains that fifteenth-century Italian art is a “deposit” resulting from the commercial interaction between the artist and the purchaser, who he refers to as a client. These works, as such, are “fossils of economic life,” and money, and they play an important role in the history of art. In our current perception of the relationship between the artist and art, “painters paint what they think is best, and then look around for a buyer” . However in the past, especially during the Renaissance period, the customers determined the content and form of paintings, as it was them who commissioned the work before it was created. He states that the artists and clients were interconnected and a legal agreement was drawn up specifying subject matter, payment scheme and the quality and quantity of colors, which would influence the artist’s painting style. Baxandall not only looks at the explanation of the style of painting that reflects a society, but also engages in the visual skills and habits that develop out of daily life. The author examines the situations between the painter and client within the commercial, religious, perceptual, and social institutions, centrally focusing on markets, materials, visual practices, and the concept of the Renaissance period, which saw art as an institution. Baxandall notes that Renaissance paintings also relate to the clients’ motives through such ways as possession, self-commemoration, civic consciousness, and self-advertisement. The author considers works of a wide variety of artistic painters, for instance, Filippo Lippi, Fra Angelico, Stefano di Giovanni, Sandro Botticelli, Luca Signorelli, and numerous others. He defines and exemplifies fiftee...
Just as other works that reflect art, pieces in the category of fine arts serve the important message of passing certain messages or portraying a special feeling towards a particular person, function or activity. At times due to the nature of a particular work, it can become so valuable that its viewers cannot place a price on it. It is not the nature or texture of an art that qualifies it, but the appreciation by those who look at it (Lewis & Lewis, 2008).
When visiting an art museum, there could be many thoughts that can run through someone’s mind. One can contemplate the tale that the artist is trying to convey while others can discuss the impact the piece has in term of aesthetics. And people continues to walk around and observing different piece, a thought occurs and questions your logic and reasoning. Why are any of these pieces considered as art? This is not a questioning of the quality of the piece, the mere presence at the measure demonstrates that it is certainly fine art. The question is why is it general called art? Looking past the creative imagery and aesthetic themes, the piece is just ink on paper or shaped clay or any variation on a thing. So is piece of art just a mere thing? As written in the Origin of the Work of Art, Martin Heidegger would state that it’s not a simply put. Some of the subjects that Heidegger discusses range from the origin of the essential of art to the interpretation of things.
During the ancient times in Greece, Plato was the first human to document and criticize the existence of art and artists. He mentioned that human art was always in a form of a representation of something else. In one of Plato’s famous works, he demonstrates the idea of art is like an “imitation of nature” (Blocker 3). In other words, the purpose of art was to represent nature and nothing else. Art was not created for the sake of its own self nor was it created to appreciate its own beauty by any means. Instead, art, usually in forms of writings, paintings, or sculptures, was created to only to represent nature, Gods, emperors, families, or other important individuals. Furthermore, Plato had a very critical view towards the existence art in our society because art makes us more emotional, and our emotions lead to many errors about life. He believed it is our rational thinking, not our emotions or senses, which helps us und...
“Art is a recurring form of human practice. Some have argued that all human societies have shown evidence of artistic activities.” (Carroll 5)
...ns something when it imitates nature and delivers facts of history or culture. Art is the exploration of what it is to be alive, to be human and struggling to understand one’s role within society and identity in general. By stretching the limits of what is acceptable, the artist questions preconceived ideas of what is ugly and beautiful, important and unimportant. These ideas in art and society are influenced by the emergence of new technologies that expand human understanding. Since technology improves and human understanding is bolstered by these theories (both philosophical and scientific), then art will always have a place. The artist’s place is to criticize and express the tendencies and attitudes of himself and of society. Even if those feelings are marginalized, their expression makes the audience aware of them, and begs them to ask questions of themselves.