Ran across a quote relevant to the module 3 question on the ECA Facebook page. Here is the back story to the quote (from 1952), which is from artist Barnett Newman:
In August, Newman participates as a speaker in the annual Woodstock Art Conference in Woodstock, New York. In a session with the philosopher Susanne Langer, Newman attacks professional aestheticians, saying: “I feel that even if aesthetics is established as a science, it doesn’t affect me as an artist. I’ve done quite a bit of work in ornithology; I have never met an ornithologist who ever thought that ornithology was for the birds.” He would later hone this remark into the famous quip, “Aesthetics is for the artist as ornithology is for the birds.” (here for source)
I like the syllogistic logic at work here and encourage us all to think about other syllogisms and linguistic mechanisms that help us articulate “aesthetics” as we move toward meeting on Wednesday…
