1. Areas of knowledge – The arts
Chapter 11
Areas of knowledge – The arts
p. 328
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What is art? (1)
Calling something art because of the intentions of the artist
Something is a work of art if the maker intended it to evoke an aesthetic response.
If something is intended as a work of art, then it should not be made with a practical use in mind.
Criticism:
Does intending something to be art automatically make it art? Or might it just be junk?
p. 330
Discussions: Activities 11.1–11.3, pp. 329–32
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What is art? (2)
Calling something art because of the quality of the work
The idea of quality is connected with the idea of skill.
A great work of art is a combination of content and form.
It may not be beautiful.
It may even be intended to shock.
Criticism:
A work of art may be technically excellent but lack originality, e.g. kitsch art – clichéd or mass-produced art, forgeries.
It may be original but lack technical skill, e.g. Picasso’s Bull’s Head.
Discussion: Activity 11.5, p. 334
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What is art? (3)
Calling something art because of the response of the spectators
A work of art requires people to appreciate it.
‘Experts’ may understand the meaning of a work of art better than the artist who made the work.
Criticism:
The response to a work of art may:
change over time (or may be just a fashion)
differ between ordinary people and ‘experts’.
Discussion: Activity 11.7, p. 337
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What is art? (4)
Calling something art because it is found in an art gallery
French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968) took everyday objects, renamed them and exhibited them as art called ‘readymades’.
So where does art begin? Is everything art? Or does that devalue the idea of art? Or is everything art if you just look at it differently?
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Aesthetic judgements
Are they objective or subjective?
Examples of canonical works (the ‘classics’):
literature: Oedipus Rex (Sophocles), works of Shakespeare and Goethe
visual arts: Leonardo, Picasso
music: Mozart, Beethoven
p. 338
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7. The paradox of aesthetic judgement
It is accepted that there are standards to judge by.
However, different people have different tastes which are fully valid for each of them.
p. 339
Discussion: Activity 11.9, p. 339
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8. Should aesthetic judgements be disinterested? (1)
If I say ‘I like this painting’ and you say you don’t like it, these two statements can coexist.
If I say that the painting is beautiful and you say that it is not beautiful, the two statements contradict each other. To say that something is beautiful implies that other people ought to find it beautiful.
pp. 339–40
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9. Should aesthetic judgements be disinterested? (2)
Kant (1724–1804) said that, unlike personal tastes, aesthetic judgements are disinterested.
If you like a piece of music because it reminds you of a happy time in your life, you are interested.
To be disinterested, we should go beyond our personal tastes and preferences so that we can appreciate a work of art on its merits.
Parallel with sport: someone may not like a sportsman but may appreciate that he/she is technically good.
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10. Are there universal standards in art? (1)
Psychological factors
Look at the two paintings on p. 341 of the Coursebook. Discuss the emotions aroused by the two paintings.
Look at other paintings:
Do horizontal lines in paintings always give a feeling of peace?
Do diagonal lines generally give a disturbing feeling?
pp. 340–2
Discussion: Activity 11.10, p. 340
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11. Are there universal standards in art? (2)
Komar and Melamid (Russian artists) conducted research into visual art. They:
examined the most popular paintings across a wide range of cultures
found that popular paintings depict landscapes in which the viewer can see without being seen.
Possible explanations:
Our preference for such landscapes may result from our evolved survival instincts.
The world is dominated by US culture → globalisation of taste.
Discussion: Activity 11.12, p. 343
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12. Are there universal standards in art? (3)
Komar and Melamid also found a similar universality in musical taste. Sense of rhythm in music may reflect the human pulse.
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13. Are there universal standards in art? (4)
Cultural differences
Comparing art is difficult: some people are inclined to see similarities between things and others to see differences.
Contrasting cultures may not understand the nature of art in other cultures without help.
Other examples:
Opera: Chinese and European opera differ greatly.
Sport: baseball differs from cricket.
Discussion: Compare and contrast the styles of the two pictures of Derwent Water, p.343; Activity 11.13, p. 344
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Art and knowledge (1)
Art as imitation
Mimesis is Greek for ‘imitation’. The mimetic theory suggests that the purpose of art is to copy reality.
Example artists include Michelangelo (1475–1564) and Auguste Rodin (1840–1917).
Important developments:
Fifteenth century: development of perspective
Nineteenth century: invention of the camera
Why try to copy reality in paint when it can be copied at the click of a button?
Led to revolutionary changes in the nature of visual art, music and literature.
pp. 244–6
Discussion: Activity 11.14, p. 345
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Art and knowledge (2)
Art as imitation: criticisms
The ‘copy’ theory does not apply to music.
Art does not merely copy reality, it creatively interprets it.
Paul Klee (1878–1940), a Swiss painter, said that ‘Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible’, i.e. it helps us see things we would not otherwise notice.
Art can also influence the way we subsequently view the world, e.g. paintings, plays, books, music.
Discussions: Activities and 11.16, pp. 345, 346
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Art and knowledge (3)
Art as communication
‘The language of art’ is a form of communication between the artist and the spectator.
Implies there may be a ‘grammar’ and ‘vocabulary’ of art that needs to be learned to allow understanding.
Art can arouse in a way that words cannot, e.g. the last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Art as communication has:
breadth, e.g. literature can project us beyond personal experience and help us to learn from others
depth, e.g. ordinary language may not adequately express deep emotions.
Discussions: Activities and 11.18, p. 347
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Art and knowledge (4)
Art as education
Art provokes emotions that can influence decisions/actions → links to ethics.
It may challenge us to question our assumptions.
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18. Science, art and truth (1)
Patterns
Both look at the patterns in things.
Art expresses patterns in more altruistic, intuitive, imaginative forms.
Science expresses patterns in mathematics, logic, formulae, reason.
pp. 349–50
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19. Science, art and truth (2)
Beauty
Both may be seen as ‘beautiful’, e.g. Einstein said that the theory of relativity was ‘too beautiful to be false’.
Mathematical ‘beauty’ is no guarantee of truth.
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20. Science, art and truth (3)
Prior knowledge
Art does not always need prior knowledge to appreciate it.
Science usually needs prior knowledge to appreciate it.
Discussion: Activity 11.23, p. 350
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21. Discovered or invented?
Most people agree that science is discovered and art is invented.
However, some artists feel their work is already there, just waiting to be uncovered, e.g. the sculptor releases the sculpture hidden in the marble.
p. 351
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22. Science and art as complements
Science and art could be seen as complementary ways of making sense of the world.
Science looks at things from outside; art looks at things from inside.
Subjective experience is important as well as objective, measurable facts.
p. 352
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The arts and truth
The paradox of fiction
Fiction can reveal deep truths about the human condition.
Humans often turn to fiction in search of truth.
Two scientific theories may be mutually exclusive.
Two works of art may equally reveal truth.
pp. 352–3
Discussions: Activities and 11.25, p. 353
Linking questions: p. 355
Reading resources:
How much art can the brain take? p. 356
Which side are you on? p. 361
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