1. Formalism  Object-centered theory  Focus only on the work itself  Do not focus on the artist of the observer/audience

2. What is formalism?  Formal properties are the only things that matter about art Essence of art Definition of art Evaluation of art  What are formal properties? Shape, color, harmony, rhythm, angles, rhyme NOT representation, expression, symbolism NOT moral, religious, or political value

3. Arguments supporting formalism  What is distinctive about art objects as opposed to ordinary objects?  What makes art special or distinctive as a cultural phenomenon?  Are there examples that can be understood best in formalist terms? Does it explain what we want to understand about art?

4. Arguments against formalism  Does it account for the things about art that make it distinctive or special?  Are there examples that cannot be understood best in formalist terms, viz., counter-examples? Does it explain what we want to understand about art?

5. Testing Formalism: Do we see the same object?  Do we describe the same properties in the object? Is there one “correct” description?  Does our age or veterans’ status or education lead us to see something different?  Does our race or gender lead us to see something different?

6. Testing formalism: Can we appreciate the object fully by focusing only on formal properties?  Is information about the artist significant in understanding and appreciating the work?  Is information about the moral, religious, political value significant in understanding and appreciating the work?  Is the expression, symbolism, or representation significant?