Interpretation - Collingwood - The Principles of Art

Interpretation of R.G. Collingwood The Principles of Art

            There are many theories that attempt to answer “What is a work of art?”  One prominent theory suggests that artists act as conduits for divine messages.  Another suggests the processes of the sub-conscious inspire the artist.  In either case, the acts forming art are neither voluntary nor conscious.  The question becomes not what theory is more correct, but is theory the right approach to answering the question.  We are already familiar with non-theoretical processes that are similar to the activities of art, and we call them creation.

To create is to voluntarily make something, and it is done as a conscious act.  However, the creative act is absent technical skill, and it does not have to have a final end or purpose.  Creating, for our purposes, means “an artist as making a poem, or a play, or a painting, or a piece of music.” These acts occur through the creative process, but not necessarily knowing in advance what the final piece will be.

Creativity already exists within the artist.  In order for someone to be a nuisance, there must people capable of being annoyed, and people capable of annoying them.   With creativity, the artist must already possess unexpressed emotions, have will to express them and be in an environment that allows them to create.

 Art is imaginary, only existing in the artist’s mind.  For clarity, imaginary means that the thing only exists as notions within the artist.  A thing is considered real when it exists in the real world.   The understanding of imaginary and real have the same meaning as their ordinary usage.  One can say the imaginary contains the form of a thing.  It becomes real when matter is imposed on the form.  When making art there are two stages, “(1) Making the plan, which is creating. (2) Imposing that plan on certain matter, which is fabricating.”  It is important to note that creation occurs in the imagination.  At this point the art exists, but it is up to the artist to find physical expression if they choose to share it with others.

            Imagination is central to art, but it is commonly confused with make believe.  Make believe uses the imagination to create fictional realities reflective of our desires.  Imagination does not.  Imagination is primarily how we make sense of our world.  It fills in the gaps of what we do not see, and it makes assumptions about the content from past experiences.  Imagination is not concerned with desire or aversion, and it is indifferent to what is real and what is unreal.  Imagination enables closure and our ability to form meaning.

            We tend to think that works of art are real; physical things existing in the world.  However, this is not accurate as “The work of art proper is something not see or heard, but something imagined.”  As described earlier, art comes into existence in the artist’s mind through the act of creation.  Works of art we perceive as real are mere physical representations used to communicate the artist’s thoughts.  This notion provides distinction between art proper and false art.  With false art, the object becomes the work, and it tends to reflect pleasant stimulations or gratifies desires.  With art proper, the object becomes a conduit of communication that enables the viewer to understand what the artist is portraying.

            In context with art proper, communication means a “reproduction of the speaker’s [artist’s] thought by the hearer [viewer], in virtue of his own active thinking.”  There are two processes that occur when one views art.  The first is the physical sensation of seeing or hearing the work, and the second is an imaginative experience.  Recalled “complicated muscular movements,” or store physical memory, are experienced by the viewer.  It is important to note the experiences are imaginary, or recalled, in nature.  Enjoying only the physical attributes of the art object is false art and associated with mere consumption.  However, the imaginary experiences that are recalled are connected to the intent of the artist’s communication, and this is appreciation of the art proper.  Seeing the work and recalling experiences are so infused with each other that it can be considered a total activity.  The total activity which the person enjoying it apprehends, or is conscious of, by the use of his imagination” is reflective of a work that is art proper.

            In summary, the artist, through their imagination, creates art proper.  It is reflective of pre-existing emotions and the will to share to them.  The art object is not the art proper itself, but serves as a conduit to the artist’s intent or message.  Experiencing art proper is using the combination of using sensations along with imaginative experiences in order to reproduce the artist’s message in ways that the viewer can relate.

Works Cited

Collingwood, R.G. The Principles of Art.   Art 623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University. N.d. Web.  Nov 13, 2013