what is art? part ii

ART(?) WHAT ARE WE

APPRECIATING?

Art: FORM: MEDIA, STYLE, COMPOSITION CONTENT : SUB JECT MATTER , MESSAGE , ICONOGRAPHY CONTEXT: KNOWLEDGE OF ARTIST, TIME & CULTURE

ART

Art and Tradition: H i s t o r i c a l l y conditioned object/historical process

IS EVERY OBJECT A WORK OF ART?

“OUR ENJOYMENT AND APPRECIATION OF WORKS OF ART IN WHATEVER MEDIUM IS NOT SOMETHING COMPLETELY ISOLATED FROM EVERYDAY ASPECTS OF HUMAN LIFE. ALL OF US, MOST OF THE TIME, MAKE DECISIONS, COME TO CONCLUSIONS AND ABOVE ALL APPRECIATE AND ENJOY THINGS IN WAYS WHICH ARE THE SAME SORTS OF WAYS IN WHICH WE ENJOY AND UNDERSTAND WORKS OF ART” –  IAN GROUND

EXAMPLE : CHOOSING WHERE TO SIT IN THE PARK TYPICALLY INVOLVES SOME KIND OF AESTHETIC DECISION

AESTHETICS – A BRANCH OF PHILOSOPHY CONCERNED WITH FEELINGS AROUSED IN US BY SENSORY EXPERIENCES SUCH AS SEEING AND HEARING (THIS HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH YOUR P A R T I C U L A R T A S T E & UNDERSTANDING OF BEAUTY.)

APPRECIATING ART IS NOT JUST APPEARANCE/AESTHETIC VALUE (HOW) –IT ALSO INVOLVES UNDERSTANDING WHY A WORK IS MADE IN A CERTAIN W A Y A N D F O R W H A T REASONS.

A FORGED BILL IS NOT COUNTERFEIT BECAUSE IT DOESN‘T LOOK LIKE THE ORIGINAL, BUT BECAUSE IT WAS NOT MADE UNDER THE RIGHT AUTHORITY OR REASONS.

CONTEXT

BARRY MCGEE, AKA “TWIST”

CONTEXT

BARRY MCGEE, AKA “TWIST”

APPEARANCE VS. INTENTION

“I USE THE POLLEN OR THE BEESWAX, WHICH I DID NOT CREATE. I PARTICIPATE IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS IN THE WORLD, WHICH I COULD NEVER CREATE. I COULD NEVER CREATE THIS BEAUTY OF THE POLLEN. SO THE TRAGEDY FOR ME WOULD BE IF I TRIED TO MAKE A PAINTING OUT OF POLLEN.” “FOR ME, THE SKY IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN TRYING TO MAKE A PAINTING THAT IS A SYMBOL FOR THE SKY.”

•  A PERCEPTUAL SHIFT •  A FORMAL EXPRESSION OF A CONCEIVED

IMAGE OR IMAGINED CONCEPTION IN TERMS OF A GIVEN MEDIUM – SHELDON CHENEY

•  “ART MAKES LOOKING WORTHWHILE” •  “AESTHETICALLY INTELLIGIBLE ARTIFACTS” •  “EMBODIED MEANING” •  ART IS DETERMINED BY ART INSTITUTIONS

(GALLERIES, MUSEUMS, CRITICS).

ANYTHING CAN BE ART! DUCHAMP DIDN’T MAKE EVERY SHOVEL ART, JUST THE ONE HE LABELED.

VALUE IS COMPLETELY SUBJECTIVE. THERE ARE METHODS OF EVALUATING ART, AND JUST BECAUSE VIEWERS RESPOND DIFFERENTLY DOESN’T MEAN THEY DON’T EXIST.

ANYONE COULD DO THAT. A SENTIMENT TYPICALLY REFUTED WITH THE ARGUMENT, “BUT YOU DIDN’T.

I DON’T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT ART TO TALK ABOUT IT. ANYONE CAN DISCUSS ART WELL, FEW OF US HOWEVER LOOK AT IT LONG ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO DO SO. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS, TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU SEE — DON’T BE AFRAID TO BE WRONG. THE BEAUTY OF AN OPINION IS THAT YOU CAN CHANGE IT AS YOUR RESPONSE EVOLVES.

(ABBREVIATED) FALLACIES ABOUT CONTEMPORARY ART ���– L MAGAZINE, MAY 13, 2009