Why we value art? Flashcards
What is a sufficient condition?
If a sufficient condition for something is present, then it will occur.
What is a necessary condition?
If a necessary condition for something is not there then it will not occur.
What did Plato think about art?
He thought it was the lowest form of knowledge
Why do we value art according to Plato?
Because it imitates reality
What example is used to illustrate us valuing art because it imitates reality?
Vaughan William’s composition called Lark Ascending because it imitates the sound of a lark.
What are the three arguments against Plato’s imitation theory?
1) It excludes lots of pieces of art which are not imitation
2) art is never a straight forward copy, it carries a story. Lyotard said that even cave paintings carry the agenda of the painter.
3) Ignores the role of the perceiver, people interpret art in different ways
Why did Plato think art was the lowest form of knowledge?
It appeals to emotion rather than reason
What is Hopkins’ theory?
experience of resemblance in outline and shape, we have the same experience looking at a painting as we would looking at someone in the world
Two issues with Hopkins’ theory
1) Experience depends on the perceiver, a painting could give someone EROS and not the other
2) not all type of art works in the form of line and shape
What is ‘seeing-in.’
A special perceptual experience, only happens through art, carries enjoyment
Who came up with the ‘seeing-in’ theory?
Wollheim
Artistic truth
The thesis that we value art because it can educate us and lead us to truth.
What are the two truths?
Coherence - a proposition is true if it fits in with other propositions
Correspondence - a proposition is true if it corresponds with the state of the universe
What are the 4 criticisms to artistic truth?
1) Why would someone look to art for truth when specialist sources are available? Art is subjective!!!
2) Art only gives trivial truths
3) There are examples where art is not the truth, Shakespeare’s Richard III
4) Plato thought art had no truth because it was the lowest form of knowledge
Reply to the criticism to artistic truth that someone would not look at art for truth when they can look at specialist sources
Art gives moral truth and can give more perspectives, like looking at Holocaust art
Reply to the criticism of artistic truth that art only gives trivial truths
Art is only meant to give truths about the human condition
What is expressionism?
The thesis that we value art because of the emotion is expresses
What did Tolstoy say?
He thought that art was the contagion of feeling
According to Tolstoy how do you judge good art
Depending on how the audience respond emotionally
According to Tolstoy, which emotions are which emotions are more valuable
Feelings of brotherly love are have a higher value than those of desire, sex and discontent
What are the 4 issues with Tolstoy?
1) Makes no distinction between the moral and aesthetic
2) Disregards loads of art, those which do not convey direct emotion
3) It oversimplifies our response to art
4) Being moved by art is not the same as being moved by events in real life
What did Collingwood think?
What was in the artist’s mind is more important than what is on the canvas
What are the 4 issues with Collingwood?
1) ignores all art which is not expressive, like vases
2) art proper ignores lots of art, we dont know how the test is applied
3) we cannot know the artist’s true emotions
4) there are things which are emotionally expressive which are not art –> ‘i love you’
What did Collingwood say to people to who said that not all art was expressive
this are is not art proper!
According to Collingwood, what does art NOT seek to do?
around emotion directly, like emotional expressions do.
What does expressionism ignore?
the craftsmanship of the artwork
according to formalism, what is the value of art placed on
the formal properties
To Kant, what did the value of art lie in?
Its capacity to draw the audience in as they notice more and more formal properties
Who took up formalism?
Clive Bell
What is significant form?
How the formal properties interact to give rise to our aesthetic emotion.
To formalists, what is completely irrelevant regarding the value of art?
The story behind it and what the art is of
What is good about Bell’s account of the value of art?
It acknowledged the difference between arts. Different formal properties.
According to Bell, who can appreciate art?
Those who have a sensitive eye
What is the issue of the perfect forgery regarding formalism
perfect forgery and original are not valued the same, even though they have the same formal properties. So the reason we value art must be something other than the formal properties.
What is the issue of the aesthetic value of nature regarding formalism
We value nature as beautiful, we could value a formal property of nature, but then that aspect of nature should be valued as art.
What is the issue of circularity regarding formalism
significant form and aesthetic emotion are defined in terms of the other. the theory is based two mutually defined technical terms.
What is significant form? That which gives rise to aesthetic emotion.
what is aesthetic emotion? That which is caused by significant form.
What is the issue of elitism regarding formalism
Those who could not feel aesthetic emotion were dismissed as ‘deaf men at a concert.’ Not everyone can feel aesthetic emotion
What are the four issues with formalism
1) circular
2) aesthetic value
3) the perfect forgery
4) elitism
What is an example of a painting showing us truth
Picasso’s guernica
What is an example of an artist showing how unique objects are
Van Gogh’s chair
What art work doesn’t even represent 3dimensional space
Barnett Newman, Adam
What is a question begging fallacy?
Theories which beg more questions than are actually answered
