The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. The above quotation is the Oxford Dictionary’s definition of art. It is one of the many definitions and theories written in answer to the question “what is art?” However, that very question implies an inhibited and essentialist answer such as “Art is…” Throughout the centuries philosophers, critics and authors have attempted to edge us ever nearer to the evasive concept that is ‘art’. It is an incredibly difficult concept and practice to theorise and define, especially in the twentieth century, as it is the very essence of art, as with all creative practices, to constantly challenge what has gone before and its pre-conceived definitions. Leo Tolstoy states that: In order correctly to define art, it is necessary, first of all, to cease to consider it as a means to pleasure and to consider it as one of the conditions of human life. Viewing it in this way we cannot fail to observe that art is one of the means of intercourse between man and man. This is taken from his iconoclastic collection of essays and polemics on art called ‘What Is Art?’ In this impassioned and powerful work, Tolstoy criticised the elitist art society in the nineteenth century, and rejected the idea that the sole purpose of art should be the creation of something beautiful. This view alone goes against the vague definition of the Oxford Dictionary, and immediately we see the issues with defining art unfold. There are countless theories written by too many people for us to create one definition that is able to be applicable to all art, from all periods. H... ... middle of paper ... ...n and Significant Form’, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Vol. 35, No. 4 (Summer, 1977), p.433 Bell, (London, 1913), p.83 McLaughlin, ‘Clive Bell’s Aesthetic: Tradition and Significant Form’, p.433 Burgin, (London, 1986), p.160 R. Wollheim, Painting as an Art, (Thames and Hudson, London, 1987), p.358 Sluga H., Family Resemblance, (Grazer Philosophische Studien, vol.71, 2006) L. Wittgenstein (tr. G. E. M. Anscombe), Philosophical Investigations 4th Edition, (Blackwell Publishing, West Sussex, 2009) Wittgenstein, (West Sussex, 2009), aphorisms 66-67 A. C. Danto, Beyond the Brillo Box: The Visual Arts in Post-Historical Perspective, (University of California Press, U.S.A, 1992), p.53 http://www.philosophypages.com/dy/n9.htm#nomi , 8th March, 2014 http://www.lrb.co.uk/v03/n06/peter-lamarque/works-of-art , Peter Lamarque, 9th March, 2014
... Hunter, John Jacobus, Naomi Rosenblum and David M. Sokol, American Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Decorative Arts, Photography, Englewood Cliffs, Prentice-Hall, 1979
According to the Oxford dictionary, Art is an expression or application of human creative skill and imagination producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. (oxforddictionaries.com). In the area of the Arts, it seems that knowledge is attained through a holistic lens, where its approach towards knowledge emphasizes the whole of an artwork rather than their constituent parts (simplyphyschology.com). Art can be accessible since the audience is able to experience it directly, with the help of our senses. As viewer we enjoy aesthetic pleasure, which involves an appreciation of the contents in relation to vehicles or supports. (Levinson, 1996) In fact, according to Jerrold Levinson’s ‘The Pleasures of Aesthetics’
For majority of people, cruising through a fine arts museum or gallery is nothing short of browsing through a textbook and failing to grasping knowledge of the content. A casual activity and check off ones list of to-dos, sometimes done just for the appearance it offers. Of that majority, one might look at a painting for a long while before connecting the uncommunicated dots from gallery label. But for the small remaining others, a trip to an art exhibition is a journey through emotions and feelings rendered by the artists of the particular works of art. Leo Tolstoy deems this to be the appropriate response to “true art” in his What is Art?, published in 1897. Tolstoy responds to the
If I were to ask you what is art, and how can one find it? What would you say? Well if it were me being asked those question, I would simply say that art to me is a form of a picture; a visual painting or model of some design and it could be found all among us. You may define it differently only because art could be defined in many ways. I could simply say that art to me is a form of a picture; a visual painting or model of some design. Well according to an article written by Shelley Esaak, an art history expert she mentioned that art has a way of stimulating different parts of our brains to make us laugh or incite us to riot, with a whole gamut of emotions in between. She also mentioned that art gives us a way to be creative and express ourselves. [1]
Throughout many centuries, art is portrayed as the production of an object which supply us a particular kind of pleasure. Philosophers claim that aesthetic emotion is based on perception. It can be determined by an individual’s focus on a specific object. Bell defines art as significant form whereas Tolstoy defines art as communication of feelings. Bell believed all objects provoke aesthetic emotion by the elements of an artwork but Tolstoy would disagree.
Art is the intentional use of some medium to communicate emotions or ideas between minds. Some combination of the five senses is used to conduct information, so art may take the form of music, painting, sculpture, dance, and others. Art may be collaborative, as with the presentation of a symphony, which may involve a composer, a conductor, players, and a lighting crew all working to create the art of the presentation. Also, art occurs in at least one level of abstraction removed from reality, a representation of the real thing.
...t. It is important that art be simultaneously accessible and enjoyable to the common man. According to Tolstoy, a work of art need not follow all of the guidelines that have been given in the past, such as Aristotle's teaching on the Unities, as long as it carries the principles of instruction and enjoyment. Tolstoy believes that the greatest of unities are the unity found in God and with one's neighbor. The purpose of art is to highlight and influence this unification.
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...
Now this leads us to understand what exactly, is art. studies all the typical “arts”. This includes music, literature, theatre, dance, film, as well as painting, sculpture, and architecture. This directs the student towards a very broad field. For example, architecture may involve the Sistine Chapel, considered one of the world’s most loved works of art. However, it may also include the landscaping in a small town square. So then, art is defined as something that deals with both the “useful” and “fine” arts, insofar as they appeal to aesthetic taste, or as long as they are created with the specific intent to cause a reaction, whether it be positive or negative.
Although one probably cannot give a real definition of Art, here are some thoughts (and a whole lot of quotations) on the subject. Let's start with a quote from "What is Art? What is an Artist?" by Chris Witcombe, Department of Art History, Sweet Briar College, Virginia.
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. The writing of Beowulf, one of the earliest known written prose, or the Greek plays which have influenced drama since their inception, are considered some of the greatest forms of art in history. Art can allow us pleasure just simply through the process of creating. Art can allow us to express ourselves to give us better insight into our own feelings. Art can, in contrast, allow us to stir emotions from within the viewer, occasionally leaving the viewer with an awakened or refreshed outlook. Some may only consider a work as art if it requires a particular skill from the artist, however, art can actually be viewed as simply another form of communication. No matter what form this expression takes, whether dance, poetry or the painted canvas, people have reasons for pursuing the need to create.
So to answer the question you need to think what is art? To me art is a form of representing a person’s ideas which can be in any form of media whether it be a painting, a film, or a song, a novel or a photograph. For it to be classed as art though it must provoke emotion or thought and show signs of creativity.
As literary critics, Plato and Aristotle disagree profoundly about the value of art in human society. Plato attempts to strip artists of the power and prominence they enjoy in his society, while Aristotle tries to develop a method of inquiry to determine the merits of an individual work of art. It is interesting to note that these two disparate notions of art are based upon the same fundamental assumption: that art is a form of mimesis, imitation. Both philosophers are concerned with the artist's ability to have significant impact on others. It is the imitative function of art which promotes disdain in Plato and curiosity in Aristotle. Examining the reality that art professes to imitate, the process of imitation, and the inherent strengths and weaknesses of imitation as a form of artistic expression may lead to understanding how these conflicting views of art could develop from a seemingly similar premise.
Art can be defined in many ways by an individual. One can say that any creative output by a person is considered art. Others contend that art must conform to a societal standard and the basis of the creation should be understood by most intellectual people. For example, some contend that computer-generated images, such as fractals, are not art due to the large role played by a computer. E.O. Wilson states “the exclusive role of the arts is to intensify aesthetic and emotional response. Works of art communicate feeling directly from mind to mind, with no intent to explain why the impact occurs” (218). A simple definition may be that art is the physical expression of the ideals formed by the mind.
Art can be interpreted in varying ways. One could take the Kantian approach by placing special importance on art’s autonomy, while proclaiming that art prescribes to its own set of self-created maxims. These maxims facilitate the creation of normative idea of art, where excellent is determined by how well it meets arts self-created maxims. Therefore the Mona Lisa is only a good painting because it greatly conforms to the maxims of the art normative. Another approach would be the Hegelian interpretation that states that art is the “highest human vocation.” In this way art shows humanity normative of human existence in a way that shows the worthiness of human society. However, there is a problem with both sets of interpretation—they associated with the Enlightenment. This problem proves to be a fatal flaw, and only with a mixture of both is it possible to fully ascertain art. It was using this method that Theodore Adorno’s philosophy was able to accomplish art in its fullest.