2: Defining Art Flashcards
term for a condition that defines something as “art” - a condition all art must satisfy
necessary
term for a condition that, when satisfied, guarantees something is “art”
sufficient
view that regards the members of a certain category of thing as characterized by an underlying principle or pattern - desire to define everything in exact terms
essentialism
philosophical view opposed to attempts to define concepts like “art” in specific terms - deny that all “art” has a defining essence
anti-essentialism
the property of something having been humanly made - held by many as a necessary condition for defining “art”
artifactuality
approach to defining art that suggests it’s sufficient for something to be called “art” if it possesses a certain number or combination of art-relevant properties, though no one property is common to all “art”
cluster theory
view that the only thing artworks have in common is that they have been listed as art by the relevant experts
radical stipulativism
view that there are valid reasons in individual cases why something would be considered “art” or not, but it isn’t possible to organize a consistent set of rules/principles around these
particularism
view that defines art in terms of its intended purpose/function to deliver an aesthetic experience - essentially the same as 19th century aesthetics
aesthetic functionalism
an uninformative definition that faces difficulty by stating, in effect, that something “is itself”
circular definition
view that defines art as an artifact of a kind created by an artist to be presented to an artworld public - define by the social procedures and decisions made by the artist
institutional theory
view that art is defined by whether it stands in appropriate historical relation to its artistic predecessors
historicism
view of defining art that combines aspects of aesthetic functionalism, institutional theory, and historicism
hybrid definition
statements that define an artist’s theory of art and articulate the value of an artist’s A(a)rt - a valuable replacement for attempting to define “art”
value statements
a market consisting of those who aspire to own a product they usually cannot afford or consume that has aesthetic, social, or personal meaning - believe owning the art will somehow improve themselves (ex. collectors)
aspirational market
an artist’s own personal explanation of how they view and think about their art - uses first person singular
artist’s statement
