Essay on What is Art - 4193 Words

Intro In late Antiquity the arts consisted of the seven artes liberales, the liberal arts: Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric, Geometry, Arithmetic, Astronomy, and Music. Philosophy was the mother of them all. On a lower level stood the technical arts like architecture, agriculture, painting, sculpture and other crafts. quot;Artquot; as we concieve of it today was a mere craft. Art in the Middle Ages was quot;the ape of naturequot;. And what is art today? Can we give a definition? Sir Roger Penrose, one of the foremost scientists of our time, when faced with a similar problem with regard to the definition of quite something else, viz., consciousness, states in his The Emperors New Mind: quot;I do not think that it is wise, at this stage†¦show more content†¦None of them are artists, though they all fall short of being so to varying degrees, but they are all painters. And then there are painters who are artists. Where does the difference lie, and why? What does the one lot do which the other lot doesnt? When is painting an art, and why?quot;[3] The criterion of art What makes a painting a work of art? According to the Institutional Theory of Art, quot;Painters make paintings, but it takes a representative of the art-world to make a work of art.quot;[4] So, What is art? is not a question to be answered by the lay-man. We need Priests to tell us what the Truth is, i.e., to decide wether a painting is a work of art or not. Besides the quot;externalistquot; Institutional Theory of Art answer Wollheim gives two internalist answers: quot;The criterion of art lies in some directly perceptible property that the painting has.quot; and The act of painting has to be an intentional one, i.e., the painter has to have the intention of making art. The act of painting has to be undertaken in a special way in order to be art.[5] The origins of art In a book with a totally different subject, The Prehistory of the Mind, Steve Mithen defines art as artefacts or images with symbolic meanings as a means of communication. Art, in Mithens theory, is a product of the cognitive fluidity in the quot;Modernquot; (i.e., Homo sapiens sapiens) Human Mind. The three cognitive processes critical to making art wereShow MoreRelatedLeo Tolstoy s What Is Art?992 Words   |  4 PagesLeo Tolstoy’s What is Art? (1896) is a written work about his ideas concerning the nature of art. Tolstoy’s book concerns how art can express ideas of how to act right and what it’s purpose is. According to Tolstoy art is the intentional communication of an emotion from the artist to the audience where the hope is that the audience feels the emotion felt by the artist. This definition of art varies from other philosophies. Tolstoy believes that this type of communication is inevitable, that it isRead MoreAnalysis Of The Other Hand 1418 Words   |  6 Pagesbeauty we perceive through art can change or support a pre-conceived idea. On the other hand, Elaine Scarry’s view resides in the fact that our view of beauty promotes the spirit of justice. Art is not so much the focus, rather beauty is the driving force of these two essays. There is an educational aspect to beauty that implies improvement within an individual or society and is promoted through both essays. Leo Tolstoy’s â€Å"What is Art† rejects any definition of art based on the conceptionRead MoreMy Own Definition Of Art1124 Words   |  5 Pagesnumerous forms of art over many decades and continue to analyze what art is and how the aesthetics of it affect viewers. Audiences have gathered to â€Å"ooh† and â€Å"ahh† at art galleries, musicals, play and ballet performances, and concerts. In fact people even travel long distances to view world-renowned tourist sites, such as the Sistine Chapel. There are billions of creations and events that are considered art whether that art is valued by a large audience or the artist alone. Either way, art has become aRead MoreThe majority of modern pornography is not art, and by using a selective definition of Leo Tolstoy’s1800 Words   |  8 Pagesmodern pornography is not art, and by using a selective definition of Leo Tolstoy’s version of art, and John Dewey’s theory of art as experience, we can determine that pornography is nothing more than shallow entertainment that exacerbates social inequalities of society’s gender roles. Despite this, pornography has the potential to become art, and should therefore not be censored. It is important to define pornography, as well as Tolstoy and Dewey’s definitions of art, in order to set the groundworkRead MoreWhat Is Art? Art996 Words   |  4 Pages What is art? Art is a difficult word to describe, because it means something a tad bit different to everyone you encounter. The official definition of art according to the Oxford Dictionary is â€Å"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 only problem with this definition is that it is very open ended, creativity and imaginationRead MoreWhat is Art?1478 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is art? How can one define simply, a subject so broad, so complex, and as subjective as artistic expression? Leo Tolstoy postulates, â€Å"Art is architecture, sculpture, painting, music, poetry in all its forms†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Tolstoy 15) I believe th at although Tolstoy, may never have imagined it in his original definition, video games may certainly fit as a viable mode of artistic expression; I believe videogames are art. According to Tolstoy, architecture is a perfectly respectable medium for artisticRead MoreWhat Makes Art Art Essay596 Words   |  3 Pages  Ã‚  Art 1030: Art Appreciation Instructor: Steve Bishop Essay One Josalyn Cook 1/26/2011 What Makes Art Art? Art is an object or piece of work that brings one pleasure. Art is also something you see or feel and you cannot even begin to describe the ways you like it or how it makes you feel. Art is something that portrays beauty and happiness. Art lets you see the world through another person’s perspective. Most art seems to tell a story about where a person has been and theRead MoreWhat Is Art? Essay1198 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the art community, there are many different forms and techniques classed as art. In the recent attack on the Queensland Art Gallery (QAG), many of the public hastily judged the abstract art exhibition by stating ‘Abstract art is not really art’. Some of the reluctant public continue to say ‘Abstract painters are sloppy, reckless, renegades with no regard for rules for formalities.’ It is in my opinion that abstract art is can be classed as art because it incorporates the basic conceptsRead MoreWhat is Art Integrating?984 Wo rds   |  4 PagesWhat is Art Integration? First, let us begin by defining what exactly art integration is. According to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, art integration can be defined as â€Å"an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both† (Silverstein Layne, 2010). With this definition, we know that art integrationRead MoreWhat Is The Art Of Rhetoric?817 Words   |  4 PagesCarpenter What is the Art of Rhetoric? The art of rhetoric is the process used to persuade an audience to the speaker’s point of view. The Art of Rhetoric is found in many places: magazine, advertisements, documentaries, politicians’ speeches, comercials, and whenever a teanager is trying to get out of trouble. The art of Rhetoric is made up of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. First, Ethos is the credibility of the speaker. The audience needs to know why they should trust what the speaker is saying.