What is Art? Who are artists? Theories about the relationship between Art & Society (Socio-historic dimensions) Especially: Becker, Howard. “Art Worlds", and Bourdieu, Pierre. "Who Creates the 'Creator'?" and "The Circle of Belief” Recommended: Becker “The power of inertia”

Video Clips n Excerpt from William Kentridge Tide Table u n Matthew Barney excerpts: “The Making of Crememaster” from Art:21(Art in the 21st Century) Season One. PBS

Course Organization n Syllabus and Preliminary Reading List Syllabus n Resources (on web)   n note u importance of attendance & participation for grades u Proper use of citations

Finding out about artistic events & issues in n Cultural Sections of papers like TheGeorgia Straight n broader: Sunday New York Times -- Arts and Leisure Section (in library) n magazines and journals devoted to the arts n Web sites showcasing other art forms, ex. n Web sites that present digital art, ex. Virtual museum exhibitions

Today’s Topic: Theories of Art and Society n Some Intellectual Traditions Concerned with Arts & Society u Humanistic (history, literature) F Centered on great events, individuals, canons F New approaches (ex. Cultural studies) u anthropological-- stress function of the arts & symbolic representations F ex. Religious, ritual ex. African Masks, Greek Pottery u Psychological– iconographic & formalist approaches u Philosophy- aesthetics u Sociology --many debates (more later)

Some “Common-sense” approaches to Art & Society n Art a measure of civilization (stages of development in other fields) n Art as historical record (events, practices, values)-- notion of Zeitgeist or mentalities n Art as predictor of change (theories of the avant-garde)

Disciplinary Differences: Internal vs. External Approaches n two extremes (internal vs. external approaches) n “internal” (humanities) -- arts outside social processes u Artists=solitary creator, exceptional genius (humanistic approach) u Arts, aesthetics as universal n “external” (social sciences) --art world or worlds are socially constructed u importance of social context and social processes & structures for understanding the arts and its uses

Some Internal Debates: “What is Art? Who Are Artists?” n emphasis on u Gifts, talent, innate characteristics (for Artists) u expression of eternal “truths”, aesthetics (for artists & possibly connoisseurs) F music Clip “Pain in my heart”, Otis Redding, R & B, Stax Volt “Pain in my heart”, “Pain in my heart”, F Ex. Notion that Greek Aesthetic Values (like Ideals of Beauty & Bodily Proportions) express universals What are problems with this?

Internal Approaches --What is Art and Who are Artists? (cont’d) F Styles, tastes and systems of ranking art forms – avant-garde vs. traditionalists etc. –Genres, art forms –Types of art F Canons (notion of what belongs and how it is ranked) F place of social & historical processes in defining art & what gets included in canons (ex. Duchamp etc.)

Ex. Marcel Duchamp--Readymade Sculptures vs. conventional techniques (challenging definitions of what is art) Fountain, original (left) and recreations of lost 1917 “Original” Who decides what is art?– the artist, experts, publics??

Other Challenges to the Canon: Mona Lisa & Duchamp (l.)Leonardo DaVinci’s so-called Mona Lisa c. 1503; (r.) Marcel Duchamp’s L.H.O.O.Q, 1920 for a Paris Dada show.

Cont.: Mona Lisa & Non- western cultural traditions (l.)Leonardo DaVinci’s so-called Mona Lisa c. 1503; (r.)Book cover from Cultural Studies for Beginners by Sardar & Van Loon.

Ex. American Jazz as a high culture art form n Marsalis, Brandon. ‘Brother Trying to Catch a Cab (On The East Side) Blues’ from I heard you twice the first time (Columbia 1992) n Also--emergence of Hip Hop musical forms as new popular genres (turntablism, rap)

Ex. “Differencing the Canon” n Guerilla Girls poster

References to Art as way of establishing credibility & authority within art worlds Jean August Dominique Ingres, Grande Odalisque (1814), oil on canvas.

“Externalist” Views u art should be contextualized (social & historic) u search for patterns (regularity) rather than exceptions F What do successful artists have in common? F What do fans share? F How do institutions function? u wider range of art forms studies (high culture, pop culture etc..) u Stronger focus on institutions & processes of F Production-creation (training, collaboration networks etc.)(training, collaboration networks etc.) F Mediation (gatekeepers, facilitators etc.)(gatekeepers, facilitators etc.) F Reception, consumption (tastes, audiences, publics, markets)(tastes, audiences, publics, markets)

Importance of social processes for recognition of the arts & artists: Visitors to the Louvre Museum in front of Mona Lisa

Variety of “externalist” approaches n Different degrees of importance of “social construction of reality” n Related to different assumptions about society & how to study it n Examples: two different approaches Becker & Bourdieu n Related to different approaches

Pierre Bourdieu— n Marxist, critical theorist n Emphasis on u Social and political structures & material conditions as limits to freedom of agency u Power relations within the field of artistic production F Creation of belief in the power of symbolic goods (art, artistic reputations etc.) and their conversion into economic and social capital u history of the field of cultural production u hierarchical model u Change through conflict

Howard Becker n Symbolic interactionist u n Early work on labeling theory and social actors (a different way of thinking of agency) n Emphasis on u Sense-making (interpretive) u Human interaction & identity-formation u Consensus & conventions u Art-making as a Collective Activity u Notion of different types of “art worlds” n Strong sociological background but also a performing artist (jazz musician)

“Many people know that I used to play the piano for a living, in taverns, for dances, weddings, bar mitzvas, Safeway employees Christmas parties, and so on. Here is a picture of the Bobby Laine Trio, circa 1950 (Bobby Laine, tenor; Dominic Jaconetti, drums; Howie Becker, piano), performing at the 504 Club, which was located at 504 W. 63rd St. in Chicago” from Howie Becker’s homepage

Art & Political Representations

Debates regarding what art is considered to “represent” n Example related to History of Visual Arts u rendering of “reality” (nature), mimesis u as world view in a specific place & time u as product of solitary genius (Renaissance) u made by “system” of production & reception u as social process (symbolic & material)

Critiques of Internalist/Externalist Stances n extreme reductionism & extreme formalism (Scylla & Charybdis metaphor) n reductionism u art reduced to social process (ignores specific characteristics) n formalism u focus on limited range of aesthetic qualities --ignores importance of social processes & context

Second Part of ‘s Class__Visit to Vancouver Art Gallery

Getting to the Vancouver Art Gallery: 750 Hornby Street – Meet in the lobby at 11

Note to Users of these Outlines- n not all material covered in class appears on these outlines-- important examples, demonstrations and discussions aren’t written down here. n Classes are efficient ways communicating information and provide you will an opportunity for regular learning. These outlines are provided as a study aid not a replacement for classes.