A
Theory of Art
Developing a
practical theory of art is quite the challenge.
People have their own opinions, and they are quick to dismiss alternate
points of view. Even among the great
minds questions abound as to the nature of art. Is great art truth? Is it beauty?
Should art reflect a great idea, or should it merely make one
happy? It is easier to approach the
nature of art by observing what it is rather than what it serves. Art is fundamentally a communication. It is form given to an idea and then shared
with an audience. This essay will
explore the nature of art; where it comes from and how relationships form
between artists, their craft and the viewers.
Along the way, we will explore the ideas of beauty and truth as they apply
to art. And finally, we will visit the
possibilities of art and establish the characteristics and guidelines that
reveal its full potential.
John Dewey’s
insights to the origins of art are practical and thoughtful. He suggests that art manifests from the
“everyday processes of life.” People do
not live within themselves. Our bodies
and senses are designed to interact and adapt to the external environment. Exchanges with the environment become the
forge of human experiences, and it is our nature to resolve life’s disruptions
with creative resolutions (Dewey). It is
through the “rhythmic crises that punctuate the stream of living” (Dewey) and
honest reflection of our actions that generate creative acts. I begin my theory that art is form given to
ideas that manifest from experiences, responses and reflections of everyday
life.
There is a
tendency to objectify art, rather than experience it. We frequently read about the monetary value
collected from auctions. It is also our
tendency to evaluate works based on our likes or dislikes. As noted by Immanuel Kant, people tend to
talk about beauty as a “quality of the object” rather than their thoughts or
feelings inspired by the object.
Friedrich Schiller, G.W.F. Hegel and Martin Heidegger share the idea
that art is not in the art-object.
So, from where
does the art come? Heidegger suggested
that art does not come from the objects within a work, but from their
relationships with the human experience.
R. G. Collingwood supports this notion as he viewed objects as conduits
of understanding to the artist’s experiences and insights. Finally, from the ancient Greeks, we hear
Plotinus’s eloquent view that the beauty in things reveal aspects of the human
soul. All of these philosophers suggest
that art does not reside in the physical, but in the abstract reflections of
human relationships and experiences. I
add to my theory that the real craft of art, the real finesse, lies in the
artist’s ability to generate abstract ideas from the physical objects that
reside in their works.
The artist acts as
a translator when forming works. However,
their craft must manifest in ways to establish relationships with the
viewers. The viewer needs to exercise
the same tools to interpret works as the artist used to create them. Several Philosophers provide insight to the
workings of interpretation. Hegel noted
that meaning is formed through the representations and relationships of the
objects. Beauty and meaning are formed
by engaging the senses, feeling, intuition and the imagination. Schiller referred to the interpretative
process as the aesthetic mode, and it uses semblance and the imagination to translate
the reality of objects into abstractions.
And Kant used the idea of free play to let the viewer form “explanations
of an objects possibility” without the use of cognitive intent. In other words, art speaks to the viewer’s senses
and free roaming associations by ignoring conscious awareness and reason. The viewer produces meaning relative to how
the object connects with man, or with greater works, how the objects reproduce
meaning as experienced by the artist.
The use of free
play and the aesthetic mode are intrinsic to man. Aristotle wrote that we learn by imitations
and that they “tickle the mind.”
Plotinus noted that the soul becomes “delighted and thrilled” when it
“remembers itself” through interpretations and associations. Hegel described the effect as being struck by
a “sensuous reality” that generates deeper meaning and brings people closer to nature. One can also draw from their own experiences
from their feelings of awe and conviction when struck by inspiration and
personal insights. Art is in the craft and
the ideas. However, the craft needs to
engage and encourage the viewer to form meaning through semblance and
imagination.
Truth is perhaps
the most misconstrued word in the art world, and its language inhibits the full
realization of art’s possibilities. One
reason is the inundation of relentless rhetoric that claims to be the truth,
but is nothing more than thinly veiled forms of persuasion. Also, social convention recognizes and prizes
the superficial over honest reflection. Truth, in art, means an honest
experience, encounter or insight. This
may occur as a flash of inspiration by the artist, or it might be a realization
experienced by the viewer. Hegel noted
that fine art occurs when the work honestly reflects the human condition or
deeper levels of understanding. Schiller
was open in his view that people using honest semblance, the very essence of
the aesthetic mode, tend to see past the superficial and search for deeper and
more satisfying elements of life. He
also viewed public opinion, the reliance on the material, or reliance on the
purely conceptual as threats and inhibitors to honest reflections. Truth, for my theory of art, means an honest
experience, revelation or insight.
Beauty, like
truth, is also misconstrued. Its
confusion lies with its history, and it lies with personal interpretations of
what beauty is. The ancient Greeks
formed direct associations of beauty to mean virtue, or higher truths. Plotinus reflects the ideas of the time; that
beauty reflected things that were good, and things that were good were closer
to virtue and to god. Today, people view
beauty as those characteristics that are desirable to us. Clive Bell affirms this notion in that
conventional beauty is attributed to desire and to objects. Dewey noted that people tended to objectify art
and reduce works to objects of beauty and desire. As discussed earlier, art is a communication,
and the work is merely a medium to express an experience. As such, beauty is not the art as it emphasizes
the object, rather than the abstraction.
However, beauty is a powerful tool that can engage viewers and helps
them realize the significance of a work of art.
Kant described charms as color, contrast, tones and other elements that
make the work easier to see, and they excite and maintain the viewer’s
gaze. Though a touch out of context, I
further my theory and adopt Kant’s notions of charms and use them in place of
beauty. It is a reminder that beauty
serves art rather than defining it.
We now have a functioning theory art. It is form given to an experience, and it is
inspired by everyday living, encounters and reflections. Free play is a mode of interpretation where
the viewer forms meaning through sensation and imagination, rather than
conscious reasoning. Truth in art refers
to an honest insight or experience from the artist, or a revelation by the viewer. Beauty is the charms used to draw attention
to the artwork and help reveal the experiences of the artist. What is still needed is an understanding of
what exactly is good art.
The term good art
is used with some specificity. Dewey
wrote that art could contribute directly to the enrichment of life. Aristotle advised art could invoke
recognitions that change ignorance to knowledge, and most importantly, Hegel
suggested that art stimulates the creative imagination to move people beyond
themselves. People do not live
independent of their environment; they live in relation to it. Things that affirm one’s identity, beliefs or
makes them happy does not move them forward.
Human enrichment comes from those moments where people can see beyond
themselves and make new connections with others and their environment. Human enrichment is growth through new
experiences and understanding. If art is
a communication, then the best art serves to communicate honest experiences and
insights in a way that encourages the viewer to reflect and grow. Heidegger got it right when he wrote that art
creates worlds for people to explore the essence of things, and their
relationships to the environment and the human condition.
Returning to
beauty and truth, beauty tends to isolate its subjects, and it speaks to the
individual because it is based in personal preferences. Honest truth tends to reflect significant
experiences that reveal relationships and deeper connections. It allows people to look beyond their self,
and see how they relate to the rest of the world. Working together, beauty has the capacity to
draw attention to the work, and allow the honest truth to shine. The full power of great art allows us to
interpret the world from another perspective that is fully authentic, and in
doing so, we gain deeper insights into ourselves, other cultures, and the
world. By the very nature of humanity, we all share
in the same struggles of life; the source of the creative experience and the
raw materials of artistic ideas.
Art serves many
purposes. It can be appreciated for just
its beauty, or to affirm a belief or consumed as enjoyment. It can be a great work, or it can be a child
with a box of crayons. However, the full potential of art is realized through
its ability to project experiences and give us insights to other views. Art is a communication. It is form given to an idea. It uses honest experiences and beauty to
share meaning and enjoyment. Most
importantly, art unites us, as it is through the struggles of life that art
becomes universal; where notions of personal preferences and want are replaced
with shared experiences of human exploration and discovery.
Works Cited
Aristotle.
Poetics. Art 623, Aesthetics. Tiffin
University. N.d. Web. Sept 1, 2013
Bell, Clive. “The Aesthetic Hypothesis.” Art 623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University.
N.d. Web. Oct 28, 2013.
Collingwood, R.G. The Principles of Art. Art
623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University. N.d. Web. Nov 13, 2013
Dewey, John. Art as Experience. Art
623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University. N.d. Web. Nov 6, 2013
Hegel, G.W.F. Introduction to Aesthetics. Art
623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University. N.d. Web. Sept 1, 2013
Heidegger, Martin. “The Origin of the
Work of Art.” Art 623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University.
N.d. Web. Nov 13, 2013
Kant, Immanuel. “Critique of Aesthetic Judgment.” Art 623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University. N.d. Web. Sept
8, 2013
Plotinus. Enneads. Art 623, Aesthetics. Tiffin University. N.d. Web. Sept
1, 2013
Schiller, Friedrich. “On the Aesthetic
Education of Man.” Art 623,
Aesthetics. Tiffin University. N.d. Web. Sept 15, 2013
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