Introduction: What is Art

Introduction

Why does art matter? Amidst chaos and confusion in what have been characterized as post-
truth world, art affords us a form of criticality. That is, to question things, to interrogate, indeed,
not to accept things as they are. This means further an incisive reflection, interpretation and
evaluation of various texts, ranging from poems, paintings, photographs, and performances. In
the words of Edmund Feldman (1996:18), “the images we make do not end their lives on school
corridor walls: they find their way into human minds, into the language of civic discourse, and
into the building blocks of
culture. And that is a matter for serious reflection.” Thus, an objective of this course is to equip
you with the necessary critical lens of viewing the world, without negating the enchantment of
art. In this module, you will revisit some of the ideas, concepts which you may have
encountered in your previous education.

1.0 Definitions of Art

What is art? Art as a concept, like culture, defies a singular definition. There have been attempts
to define art, and the following enumeration is just some of the examples how art has been
defined through time:

1. Art is an attempt to create pleasing forms. (Herbert Read)

2. Art is the enjoyment of forms. (Ernst Cassirer)
3. Art is a man-made object demanding to be experienced aesthetically. (Erwin
Panofsky)
4. Art is expression; it is not intention or talent. (Bernedetto Croce)
5. Art is the skilled performance or distinctive ability in any activity whatsoever.
(James Jarrett)
6. Art is the power to produce a preconceived result by means of consciously
controlled and directed action. (classic definition derived from ancient Roman and
Greek concepts)
7. Art molds our actual life of feeling; by giving form to the world it articulates human
nature, sensibility energy, passion and mortality. (Suzanne Langer)
8. Art is any embellishment of ordinary living that is achieved with competence and
has describable form. (Melville Herskovits)
9. Art is the product of creative human activity in which materials are shaped or
selected convey an idea, emotion or visually interesting form. – Encarta
Encyclopedia
10. Art… is the becoming and happening of truth. – Heidegger (1960)
To lay the ground, let us use Robert Stecker’s (2003) article, “Definition of Art.” Here, art is
defined by various key concepts coming from different perspectives.
Activity 1: Read the article “Definition of Art.”

Outline the various definitions by taking into consideration the major concern of each key
concept in relation to art, and at the same time, examine the limitations of each defining
concept. The following are your guide questions:

1. One key concept mentioned in the article is “representation,” and/or “imitation.”

The Greek philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, offered the concept of “mimesis” in
dealing with poetry and performance. How do these concepts- representation,
imitation and mimesis- define art?

Consider the Gustave Courbet painting “The Stonebreakers” below; in what way that this work
exemplifies mimesis or representation?

What about your ‘selfie”? How would you characterize it?

 2. If art is defined as representation, does it take into account other art forms like
instrumental music or the so-called abstract art, like the painting below by Wassily
Kandinsky?

3. Art as “expression.” Among the key concepts, this is likely the well-known
dimension of art. You hear people say, “I paint (or dress) this way to express
myself.” How does ‘expression’ relate to the artistic process, in general, or the artist,
in particular? How does this compare with art as representation?
4. If art is framed from a formalist perspective, how is it viewed or defined from this
standpoint? In the article, the art historian Clive Bell mentioned the notion of
“significant form,” what composes form, then. For example, consider the three art
works below:

What similarities and differences do they share as to form? Is Bell’s characterization, applicable
to all art forms, like folk arts, sculpture, architecture, and the like?
 5. If art is defined within the ambit of “aesthetics,” whether as “aesthetic object,” or
“aesthetic experience,” how is art viewed from this perspective? Consider the
photograph below:

Is it art? Or is it nature? Is aesthetic experience possible in both art and nature? If yes, what do
you look for if art if it is defined from an aesthetic dimension? Is there an overlap with art as
formalism here?

6. Following the influence of the philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein, art as a concept

eludes definition because it is “open-textured.” Instead, it is classified based on
“family resemblances.” What does this mean vis-à-vis the definition of art? Hence,
how is art viewed from an anti-essentialist framework?
7. The article also highlighted the philosophy of two thinkers- Arthur Danto and
George Dickie. How do the two scholars define art relative to these considerations:
the role of the art world, the significance of interpretation and the view art of as
artifact? In what way, they share similarities and differences?
8. In 1917, the French artist Marcel Duchamp, known for his readymades, exhibited a
urinal entitled, “The Fountain,” which he signed as R. Mutt. See photo below:
How does this ‘art work’ contribute to the definition of art?

9. Hence, after Danto, Dickie and Duchamp, can any object become an art work? Is the
board eraser you see in the classroom an art object? If we agree to say it is not, then,
does it have a ‘chance’ to become an art work? How and why?
10. What did the whole exercise teach you about art as a concept?

2.1 The Relevance of Art

Often, our experience with art happens in the comforts of an air-conditioned gallery or theater,
but through our engagement, we are brought to a world where we have not inhabited before. It
could be a world of magic or mayhem. But what matters is after the experience, we are
transformed. The effect may be subtle or palpable, but in reality, we are no longer the same
person after viewing, watching, or reading the text. We have come to embody the experience of
other people from various cultures or class, which, ultimately, enlarged our humanity. This
transformative aspect of our art may be personal to you, such as the cathartic effect after
watching a play or it may call to action on your part to, say, plant a tree or teach street kids in
your neighborhood. This view finds resonance in the quote below from Ernst Fischer (1963:7-8):

Countless millions read books, listen to music, watch theatre, go to the cinema. Why? To say that
they seek distraction, relaxation, entertainment is to beg the question. Why is it distracting,
relaxing, entertaining to sink oneself in someone else’s life and problems, to identify oneself with
a painting or a piece of music or with the characters in a novel, play, or film?... And if one answers
that we want to escape from an unsatisfactory existence into a richer one, into an experience
without risk, then the next question arises: why is our existence not enough… Evidently, man (sic)
wants to be more than just himself. He wants to be a whole man. He is not satisfied with being a
 separate individual … He longs to absorb the surrounding world and make it his own… to unite
his limited “I” in art with a communal existence; to make his individuality social.

That said, let us not lose focus then how art matters not just on individual but more so on
societal level, as well. Here, what comes to mind are works of art which are deeply ingrained in
the community or the country’s way of life.

Activity 2: The Interface of Art and Society

A. Read Alice Guillermo’s “Preface.” Allot 30 minutes

Reflect on how Guillermo’s article expands or amplifies the previous article “Definition of Art.”
In other words, in what ways her essay advocates a different way of seeing art and, more
significantly, a Filipino point of view?

CONCLUSION

This module, through the articles you read and the activities you accomplished, the focus had
been on the nature and the necessity of art. Art matters precisely because through art we find
something about the world and ourselves in the numerous texts we encounter and experience.
More often it is an ‘experience without risk’, but transformative nonetheless; thus, change may
come in the form of action or introspection. Further, the influence of various disciplines ranging
from aesthetics, art history, and anthropology helped shape our understanding of art as a
complex but compelling human phenomenon.

REQUIRED READINGS:

Guillermo, Alice (1997). “Preface.” In Art and Society, 1-7, edited by Flaudette Datuin et.al.
Quezon City: University of the Philippines.

Stecker, Robert. (2003). “Definition of Art.” In The Oxford Handbook of Aesthetics, 136- 154,
edited by Jerrold Levinson. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.

REFERENCES:

Feldman, Edmund B. (1996). Philosophy of Art Education. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Fischer,
Ernst. (1963). The Necessity of Art. Great Britain: Penguin Books.

Freeland, Cynthia. (2001). But Is it Art ? New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.