Attempting to Define Art - 993 Words

Definition Essay – Attempting to Define Art Considering that last semester I took both History of Western Art and, in the philosophy department, Aesthetics, I would have thought that I am now in a better position than I was a year ago to answer the question, â€Å"What is art?† Going into the philosophy course I had the idea that art worked as a means of taking abstract values and placing them into concrete form. However, it soon became clear that there were many other praiseworthy things that could be said about art: it can be sublime, making us feel both the overwhelming force of nature and the overcoming strength of our free will (Kant); it bridges the natural and the ideal, allowing man to achieve political freedom†¦show more content†¦By this I mean that whatever an artist creates can be judged by some aesthetic standard. The standards can vary across genres and media, differing for representational and abstract art, for painting and for music. There may not be a â€Å"Unified Theory of Aesthetics,† but works of art are open to critical assessment. Unfortunately, the three characteristics I listed are too broad to be satisfying; yet anything I can think to add would be too exclusive. Some art communicates ideas and values, but not all of it. Some art captures beauty, but other art expresses ugliness. Some art doesn’t really communicate and express anything beyond an aesthetically pleasing (whatever that means) use of a medium. Another possible problem with these general characteristics of art is that they do not exclude the productions of animals. The music of songbirds is not generally considered art to us, but to birds it may be. This is not a minor point: while human art exists in a more complicated social context, our capacity for it is something we evolved. Our complex and varied aesthetics may be the outgrowth of biological urges to produce and receive art, just as the bird’s singing comes from an innate impulse. Philosophers have tended to look to proximate causes of why we produce art (i. e. because we find it beautiful) as opposedShow MoreRelatedThe Limitless Possibilities of Art819 Words   |  4 PagesPossibilities of Art Before attempting to define art in even the most abstract of terms, I must preface with an apologia, for any definition of art dooms itself to failure as long as it attempts to categorize together objects or actions which belong to no unified category. Where does one set boundaries to determine the limits of the category ‘art’? Mine will serve only to elaborate my own personal opinions as there exists no objective method of evaluation for a definition of art as a wholeRead MoreThe History of Human Beauty Essay1316 Words   |  6 Pagessociety. History of Beauty Beauty has long since been an important part of history. It’s been fought for, envied, and been reshaped over and over. 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