1. Theories about Art & Society (disciplinary debates, socio-historic dimensions)
Especially:
Becker, Howard. “Art Worlds"
Bourdieu, Pierre. "Who Creates the 'Creator'?" and "The Circle of Belief”
Jenson, Joli “Is art good for us?”
Lane “When does art become art?”
Ghirlandaio Adoration of the Magi 15th c.

2. Recall: Course Organization
Syllabus and Preliminary Reading List
Resources (on web)
note
importance of attendance & participation for grades
Proper use of citations

3. Discussion of Vancouver Art Gallery visit Last Week
The museum visit as a form of communication or interaction (from the perspective of the visitor, museum professionals, artists etc..)
The “content” of the exhibitions
The museum as a frame or cultural context (other shows, shop items etc.)
Objects & stakeholders
The museum “system”

4. Today’s Topic: Theories of Art and Society (Intellectual Traditions)
Humanistic (history, literature)
iconographic & formalist approaches
old-style humanism--Centered on great events, individuals, canons
New approaches (ex. Cultural studies, Media studies)
Anthropological-- function of the arts & symbolic representations
ex. myths, ritual ex. African Masks, Greek Pottery
Psychological– perception , cognition
Philosophy- aesthetics
Sociology --many debates (processes, institutions etc.)
Visual Arts -cinema studies etc..

5. Theories about changes in ideas about what art represents over time (Jurt)
rendering of “reality” (nature), mimesis, imitatio
as world view in a specific place & time
as product of solitary genius (Renaissance)
Artists’ vision (19th romanticism)
made by “system” of production & reception
Socio-political processes (symbolic & material)

6. Some “Common-sense” approaches to Art & Society
a measure of civilization (stages of development in other fields)
historical record (events, practices, values)-- notion of Zeitgeist or mentalities
predictor or instigator of change (theories of the avant-garde), source of new insights, way of communicatin

7. Video Norman McLaren Neighbours. 1953. Art as social commentary
SFU Media Collection (NFB DVD 03 (PN M38 N DVD3
Art as social commentary

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

9. Internal Dilemmas: Eternal “Truths”? Exceptional Beings?
expression of eternal “truths”, aesthetics
music Clip “Pain in my heart”, Otis Redding, R & B, Stax Volt
Ex. Notion that Greek Aesthetic Values (like Ideals of Beauty & Bodily Proportions) express universals
Exceptional?

10. Internal Approaches Styles, tastes and systems of ranking art forms
avant-garde vs. traditionalists etc.
Genres, art forms
Types of art
Canons (notion of what belongs and how it is ranked)
place of social & historical processes in defining art & what gets included in canons

11. But Changing Ways of Seeing (Baxandahl)
Modern notions of viewing art objects in different historical context as pure aesthetic experience, autonomous objects, formal qualities
ignores
Historical contexts of works with religious and social functions

12. Who decides what is art?– the artist, experts, publics??
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??

13. 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.

14. 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.

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

16. Ex. “Differencing the Canon”
Guerilla Girls poster

17. Video-
John Berger Ways of Seeing Pt. 2 ‘Nude or Naked?’ (N W392 no.2)

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

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

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

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

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

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

24. Howard Becker
“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

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

26. Last Day: Internal vs. External Approaches
Internal (Humanist--aesthetics, history of the arts, critics, etc.)
art=mystery, spontaneous creation of isolated genius
importance of “aura” of individual artist for value of art work
timeless, enduring quality of beauty, perfection
External (Sociological--& cultural studies)
social production of art
importance of social processes and networks for creation of belief in the arts
values change in different social & historic contexts

27. Who creates the ‘creator’? (Bourdieu)
Unit of analysis in art studies often wrong--
should not study “apparent” producers (painter, writer, actors etc.)
processes
ideology of creation conceals exploitation by market forces
art trader or impressario=symbolic banker who creates belief in the arts by creating belief in the economic (and moral?) value of art

28. Big Issues: Relations between Types of art & types of societies
Proposes that art reflects material & symbolic conditions
ex. Class differences in tastes
Marxist notions, & theories of reflection (Arnold Hauser,Theodor Adorno)

29. Questions about Art, Class and Power
oppression (propaganda, hegemony of elite)?
Reproduction of inequalities?
Civilizing Process?
Emancipation & social change?
art has potential to liberate therefore NOT mechanical reflection of society

30. Critiques of Reflection Theory
“Is art good for us?” Joli Jenson
Critique of instrumental logic (transmission models of communication)
Good (taste in) art=good people?

32. Note to Users of these Outlines--
not all material covered in class appears on these outlines-- important examples, demonstrations and discussions aren’t written down here.
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.