What is Art?

What is art? What is beauty?

Moderators: AMod, iMod

Dubious
Posts: 4000
Joined: Tue May 19, 2015 7:40 am

Re: What is Art?

Post by Dubious »

Gee! I wonder what it could mean if in these days you can't tell the difference between animal art and the human variety. There must be a philosophy somewhere to account for it!
Nick_A
Posts: 6208
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2012 1:23 am

Re: What is Art?

Post by Nick_A »

It is obvious by the way many value art in these times that as a whole we've lost the appreciation for objective emotional quality. How many have thought on this. But if the purpose of art according to those like Tolstoy and what separates it from expression is the communication of emotional quality, the fact that unintended animal expression is considered art is proof of our collective loss of the value of art as opposed to expression.

It is frightening how society has acquired such a respect for intellectual quality but at the same time openly degrades emotional quality through its definitions of art. Well since all art is equal in quality all women are also equal in quality. They are all the same and differ only in the subjective attractions of their behind. I remember when some women were perceived to have inner quality and many would notice it. Now we know this isn't true. There is no objective emotional quality so it is only the behind that can define quality. Live and learn. I used to believe in inner emotional quality and art that can communicate it but I guess I was just naive and couldn't accept sameness. I must have missed out on a politically correct progressive education.
Dubious
Posts: 4000
Joined: Tue May 19, 2015 7:40 am

Re: What is Art?

Post by Dubious »

If there is one writer who claims the crown for the least amount of insight in declaring what is art it must be Tolstoy. In his old age and after his religious conversion he must have suffered more brain damage than Saul after he fell off his horse or Dostoevsky's collective bouts of epilepsy.
User avatar
Greta
Posts: 4389
Joined: Sat Aug 08, 2015 8:10 am

Re: What is Art?

Post by Greta »

Nick_A wrote:It is obvious by the way many value art in these times that as a whole we've lost the appreciation for objective emotional quality. How many have thought on this. But if the purpose of art according to those like Tolstoy and what separates it from expression is the communication of emotional quality, the fact that unintended animal expression is considered art is proof of our collective loss of the value of art as opposed to expression.
You are again only focused on status. You appear to be unable to simply observe phenomena without adding judgements and labels, in which case you are deliberately divorcing yourself even further from noumena than we ordinarily are.

A painting is a painting, just as a rock is a rock, and that quality and usefulness is an entirely separate matter. Some art is beautiful or uplifting and some is of interest to no one. Some rocks are beautiful or useful and some are of no use to humans.
Nick_A
Posts: 6208
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2012 1:23 am

Re: What is Art?

Post by Nick_A »

Greta wrote: You are again only focused on status. You appear to be unable to simply observe phenomena without adding judgements and labels, in which case you are deliberately divorcing yourself even further from noumena than we ordinarily are.

A painting is a painting, just as a rock is a rock, and that quality and usefulness is an entirely separate matter. Some art is beautiful or uplifting and some is of interest to no one. Some rocks are beautiful or useful and some are of no use to humans.
You seem to believe that objective quality is measured by status. If a work of art has status it is by definition a work of objective quality. I don’t believe this. For me, money is the measure of status in art. Its objective quality is measured in blind society by how much it sells for. If the artist is a well know elephant its expression is worth more than just a common elephant. Joseph Turner has sold for fifty million. One of my own ancestors has sold for five million. Does this make Turner ten times more capable of producing a work of art capable of communicating objective quality?

Would you define a work of child porn depicting an eight year old girl having various items stuffed into her body as art on the same level as the Mona Lisa? After all it is all art. A person just selects what they like? I’m old fashioned and reserve the word “art” for the intended emotional communication of value beyond the use of intellectual associations. Child porn is expression but IMO since it only communicates common sleaze cannot be put into the category of art which has a higher purpose.
User avatar
Conde Lucanor
Posts: 846
Joined: Mon Nov 04, 2013 2:59 am

Re: What is Art?

Post by Conde Lucanor »

Opinions about what art is differ from person to person and the definitions can even be contradictory. Not only that, they differ in what should be the purpose of art, why there is art and how you measure its value. In different ages and social conditions all of these ideas evolve, so when you hear someone saying with absolute certainty that "art is...", you can be even more certain that it's wrong. That said, there may be a unifying concept that ties the experience of Altamira's caves with the paintings of Rothko, which many have identified with expression. I would adhere more to the notion of formativity, as the necessary mediation between the subject and the world in every action humans perform. Everything must have a form, an arrangement, a design, which must be thought and solved by the individual within his/her imagination, no matter if it's a utilitarian task or something that renders sensory pleasures. Some social and historical byproducts of this will be known as art.
Post Reply