-Man walks in with Motorcycle helmet

• I see this man walk in and set his helmet down at an available spot at a table. He is dressed in very warm clothes including a sweater, North Face vest, and a thick windbreaker shell. He has warm pants and black boots on, as well. He puts on reading glasses and goes to order a coffee.
  • I think that this man might really appreciate a ride on his motorcycle because although it is sunny, it is very cold outside. Just an hour ago the temperature was in the thirties. He must relish the days without rain because they allow him to ride on his bike without getting wet. He must not mind the cold weather and dresses to prevent it from affecting his ride on his motorcycle.
  • Soon, this man takes off his many layers and sits in a plain gray sweatshirt before retrieving his computer from his bag and beginning to work.
    • Based on his attire, I can be lead to believe that this man dresses for necessity, instead of based on fashionable trends. He wore layers to protect himself from the cold outside, and now that he is in the warm coffee house and has shed those layers, his gray sweatshirt leads me to believe that he is not there to impress anybody, but to get work done and to be productive. The style of this man’s attire does not give me any more information. He looks clean which leads me to believe that he is in a good emotional state because unhappy people generally care less about their outer appearance.  Otherwise, I think this man looks like he values comfort when doing work, but doesn’t want to look unkempt or sloppy.

-A woman walks into the coffee house wearing a blue coat that looks very warm. When she takes off her coat, she is wearing a bright gold sweater underneath. She has black, high-waist jeans on and short black boots/booties. Her hair is tied up and she is wearing natural-looking makeup. This woman is dressed fashionably and in a way that flatters her. She looks like she put effort into her outfit this morning.

• From this information, I assume that this woman cares about what other people think of her appearance. I think she must want people to respect her and see that she holds herself confidently. Her hair being tied up in a ponytail make me think that she was also aware that she would be doing work today and didn’t want to put too much effort into her hair when it would be tucked behind her ears or something while she types on her computer.  In addition, she is dressed similarly to many people I see in Eugene. Because of this, I think that she must value fitting in and not standing out too much from the crowd.

– A man walks into the coffee house with blue jeans, a brown corduroy jacket, and a red beanie on. He has a simple t-shirt on underneath the brown jacket and has black Converse All-Stars. His hair is long under his beanie.

• From the way this man looks,  he appears to value his appearance in a way that doesn’t look like he’s trying too hard. His jeans look new and fresh. His jacket looks clean and cared for. His t-shirt has no wrinkles and his shoes are not scuffed. But other than these details, his outfit does not look like it took him too much effort to put together. It is an easy, comfortable look. I wonder if the man wore his beanie because it’s cold out or because he always wears them and it is part of his main wardrobe in the summer as well. I believe this man cares about what people think of him due to the cleanliness of his clothes, but I also think he may not want to look too “overdone” because he doesn’t want to appear to spend too much time on his looks. His long hair underneath his beanie gives the only hint of an “unkempt” look although it does look clean and cared for. I think this man wants to fit into the usual Eugene style as well, not wanting to stand out from the crowd.

I found a very interesting opinion piece written for the New York Times about how food has come to be viewed as high art in the United States. This particular writer, William Deresiewicz, discussed the ways in which viewing food as art has changed the culture of our country. He states that, “Just as aestheticism, the religion of art, inherited the position of Christianity among progressive classes around the turn of the 20th century, so has foodism taken over from aestheticism around the turn of the 21st,” (Deresiewicz). Deresiewicz says that students used to seek an Ivy League education to gain cultural expertise and social power, but instead they now learn about sustainable farming, food absorption, etc. These people will go on to pursue careers in the food industry such as a cupcake shop or high-end cookie business. This writer also discussed that our society has shifted from one of “Sunday painters” to “weekend chefs” who passionately enjoy cooking, but also appreciate the expertise of professionals. This article provided an interesting viewpoint and touched on many points that we have learned about in our reading, such as the involvement of aestheticism and sensual experience in art. I found the author’s main point to be surprising, because he strongly believes that food is not art. Deresiewicz explains that, “Both (food and art) begin by addressing the senses, but that is where food stops. It is not narrative or representational, does not organize and express emotion. An apple is not a story, even if we can tell a story about it…Food is highly developed as a system of sensations, extremely crude as a system of symbols,” (Deresiewicz).

I think that Deresiewicz brought up some interesting points, however, I do not agree with his main point of view and conclusion. I believe that art is still extremely relevant in our society and that food fits into a niche of the art world, instead of replacing high art as a class. In addition, Deresiewicz believes that food may tantalize our senses, but that is where it ends. In his conclusion, he states that, “A good risotto is a fine thing, but it isn’t going to give you insight into other people, allow you to see the world in a new way, or force you to take an inventory of your soul,” (Deresiewicz). I find this point of view to be somewhat narrow, because I strongly believe that food has a definite place in every culture around the world. Eating a novel meal in a foreign country could give you insight into the way they make their food with only their hands, or only use certain spices, allow you to try new flavors and textures that have never been experienced. These are certainly all sensory experiences, however, they do allow you to learn about new people and cultures, allow you to see the differences between your home and this new place, and will teach you things about yourself that you had never thought of before through the value of these experiences. I strongly disagree with Deresiewicz’s statement that food ceases to be an enlightening experience beyond the palate.

In addition, I believe that in this opinion piece, Deresiewicz viewed food and art from only the modernist point of view. He states that “Food now expresses the symbolic values and absorbs the spiritual energies of the educated class.,” (Deresiewicz) which coincides with Ellen Dissanayake’s description of the modernist era of art. She states that modernism has “a concern with elucidating principles such as taste and beauty that govern all the arts and indeed make them not simply paintings or statues but examples of (fine) ‘art…Because these values were not easily apparent to the untutored observer, appreciating art became more than ever an elite activity,’” (Dissanayake, 17-18). Deresiewicz’s point of view is understandable through the principles of modernism; however, I think that food as an art form is better understood through the postmodernist view.

“Rather than assuming that art reflects a unique and privileged kind of knowledge, postmodernists point out that any ‘truth’ or ‘reality’ is only a point of view – a ‘representation’ that comes to us mediated and conditioned by our language, our social institutions, the assumptions that characterize individuals as members of a nation, a race, a gender, a class, a profession, a religious body, a particular historical period,” (Dissanayake, 19).

I believe that this is a better description of the kind of art that is made up of food because it allows everyone’s personal points of view to be taken into consideration and accessed by all, not just the elite. Every person in the world must eat, and whether or not they eat the food of the elite does not matter because each culture has customs and practices that contribute to the artistry of their food.

Deresiewicz, W. (2012, October). A Matter of Taste? How Food Replaced Art as High Culture. New York Times. Retrieved October 27, 2013 from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/opinion/sunday/how-food-replaced-art-as-high-culture.html?_r=0

Dissanayake, E. (1991). What is art for? In K. C. Caroll (Ed.). Keynote adresses 1991 (NAEA Convention), (pp.15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.

I believe all food can be art. Food is an aesthetic experience, no matter the type, slow of fast food. It appeals to the senses and creates a pleasurable experience for the person engaged in eating the food. I think that fast food, although not healthy, is art because it requires the dedication of a person or group of people, to pick our certain additives, chemicals, or spices that enhance the flavor and scent of the food. This process delivers a man-made creation that provides an aesthetic experience, art. Finally, although fast food is reproduced in its same form millions of times, Telfer describes that duplication does not reduce the artistic quality of a piece:

“I said that both an original recipe and an actual dish are works of art if they are regarded aesthetically…Suppose a chef…creates a superb pie, which is then turned out by the thousand. Are all the pies works of art, or is the abstract recipe the only work of art? The nearest analogy in the standard fine arts is probably with engraving and other forms of print-making, where the essence of the process is that it enables an artist to produce many copies of one work. Since we can call each engraving a work of art, we can call each pie a work of art, at least in the classifying sense,” (Telfer, 17).

Just because a work of art is duplicated, does not mean that it loses any of its original qualities. It now just becomes more easily enjoyed by the masses. Finally, I believe that food requires the postmodernist theory of art. There is no type of food that will be pleasing to every person. It is important to not that postmodernist ideals are:

“Rather than assuming that art reflects a unique and privileged kind of knowledge, postmodernists point out that any ‘truth’ or ‘reality’ is only a point of view – a ‘representation’ that comes to us mediated and conditioned by our language, our social institutions, the assumptions that characterize individuals as members of a nation, a race, a gender, a class, a profession, a religious body, a particular historical period,” (Dissanayake, 19).

Food is interpreted differently in various cultures and also between people of the same culture. One person might find an expensive, elaborate meal at a five-star restaurant to be a very pleasurable, artistic experience. However, another person might find the experience to be aesthetically undesirable. Food, just like art, provides for different points of view for various people.

1. Describe the term “paleoanthropsychobiological.” Who coined this term?
   The author, Dissanayake, coined the term paleoanthropsychobiological in her essay, “What is Art For?”. She coined this term because she felt that her “own view of art for life’s sake…is so different…that it doesn’t have a name,” (Dissanayake, 15). Dissanayake states that this term means several things. “Paleo” stands for the Paleolithic era and means that art has been present as long as humans, or even before. “Anthro” is short for anthropological, and means that art is present across all of human cultures and societies. “Psycho” means that “art is a psychological or emotional need and has psychological or emotional effects,” (Dissanayake, 15). Finally, “biological” means that in order for the three preceding ideas to be present, art must be thought of as a common trait across all of humanity.
2. What does Dissanayake mean by the phrase “making special?” How does it relate to art and to human survival?
   The phrase “making special” means that it is human nature to decide to make something stand out from the ordinary, or make it special. Dissanayake states that, “all animals [including humans] can tell the difference between the ordinary or routine and the extraordinary or unusual,” (Dissanayake, 22) because without this tool they would have been unable to survive. Animals are aware of the sounds of approaching predators, sounds that are “special” in comparison to others. However for humans, this ability to recognize things that stand out from the norm took on a new form and perhaps shows the beginning of art. People began to be able to make things stand out themselves “at least 250,000 years ago – more than ten times earlier than the cave paintings that are usually called the ‘beginning of art,’” (Dissanayake, 22). Dissanayake gives various examples, including describing a colored material that would have been used for drawing on bodies or other things in order to make them stand out as something special. Making things appear special shows that humans have had the desire and ability to create things that stand out for a very long time, just as art continues to stand out in our modern world.
3. Dissanayake identifies many different theories/movements/periods of art throughout western European history. Name three different theories of art that Dissanayake mentions in her essay. Identify the time period when each theory developed and was prominent. Provide a brief description of each theory of art. Support your answer with quotes from the reading.
   – Medieval/Renaissance:
   During the medieval period and renaissance periods, artists produced works that were accurate representations of the world around them. Medieval art was centered on religion. Later, during the Renaissance period, art no longer solely depicted religious subject matter, “but [artists’] works continued to portray a recognizable world, whether actual or ideal,” (Dissanayake, 16).
   – Modernism:
   Modernism marks a period in the eighteenth century when art became an ideology. The subject of aesthetics was born, which involved “a concern with elucidating principles such as taste and beauty that govern all the arts and indeed make them not simply paintings or statues but examples of (fine) ‘art,’” (Dissanayake, 17). During the next century while modernism developed, this molded into the ideology that people should maintain a “disinterested” attitude in order to fully appreciate the art. The disinterested attitude meant that a person was separated from “one’s own personal interest in the object, its utility, or its social or religious ramifications,” (Dissanayake, 17). This disinterest signified that people were capable of appreciating all art, even if it had no relation to their current culture or values. “In this sense, art was ‘universal,’” (Dissanayake, 18).
   – Postmodernism:
   Postmodernism is a movement that arrived at the end of the twentieth century. It was a period that sought to be the end of all artistic movements. During this time it is thought that, “’taste’ and ‘beauty’ and ‘art for art’s sake’ are constructions that express class interests.” It was believed that artists did not construct their art for the purpose of sticking to rules and values that the modernists developed, but instead as representations of their own personal thoughts, cultures, and values.

Dissanayake, E. (1991). What is art for? In K. C. Caroll (Ed.). Keynote adresses 1991 (NAEA Convention), (pp.15-26). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.

I found the section of this paper that talked about the postmodernist view to be very interesting. Specifically, the sentence stated, “Rather than assuming that art reflects a unique and privileged kind of knowledge, postmodernists point out that any ‘truth’ or ‘reality’ is only a point of view – a ‘representation’ that comes to us mediated and conditioned by our language, our social institutions, the assumptions that characterize individuals as members of a nation, a race, a gender, a class, a profession, a religious body, a particular historical period,” (Dissanayake, 5). I found this to be a very helpful statement in the author’s argument that art is not universal or cross-cultural. However, the author seems to refute the postmodernist viewpoint in preference for her “paleoanthropsychobiological” approach to art. Instead of rejecting the postmodernist viewpoint, I think it fits perfectly into her paleoanthropsychobiological viewpoint. The author states that her view encompasses all of human history, human societies, emotions, and that it is a universal trait. In my opinion, the postmodernist viewpoint accepts all of these different facets of art as well.

–       First, postmodernists state that art is a point of view conditioned by language and social institutions, both of which have had a profound effect on the history of the world.

–       Second, religion, race, gender, and class have all had extremely huge effects on history, human societies, and emotion; thus, forming people’s points of view and changing them over time.

–       Third, none of these things mentioned in the postmodernist perspective have failed to happen throughout the world and have a huge impact on the way art is created and received today.

In addition, I enjoyed that the postmodernist as well as the paleoanthropsychobiological viewpoints both depended on the values that people have in various cultures throughout the world. When I was reading this article I could really see that the values people have would have a profound impact on the art they choose to create and also how various people would interpret and accept the work. I enjoyed that the reading from this week allowed me to really see where values fit into the realm of art.

My top five values are:
1) Family
2) Integrity
3) Friendship
4) Loyalty
5) Wisdom

Today is Sunday. Normally I wake up early and spend some time to myself in the morning.  I do this because I have a strong desire to learn about myself personally and what I can do to be a better person today and into the future. I am fairly introspective and like to push myself toward my goals and to stick to my values. This fits with my values of integrity and wisdom because I constantly reflect on my actions and do my best to ensure that all of my behavior aligns with my moral standards. My roommates and I had planned to work out this morning at the cross fit gym that we are all members of. We like working out together and pushing each other to attend class when we really do not feel like going. I especially enjoy being active with my friends and spending time outside. These actions coincide with my sixth value of health. Even though we were not specifically working, my friends and I are roommates and we spend a lot of time together making sure that our house chores are taken care of, including trash, dishes, cleaning, etc. We have mutual respect for each other and each other’s boundaries. I believe these actions go along with my third and fourth values, friendship and loyalty. After we got back, I ate lunch with two of my roommates and we all went to the library together. Before we left for the library, I spoke to my dad about getting a birthday gift for my mom, whose birthday is on Thursday. I am very close to my family and love spending time with them. Unfortunately, because I currently live in Eugene, I am unable to spend much time with my family besides school breaks, so I really try to do what I can to contact them as much as possible. This coincides with my first value, family.  After arriving at the library, I responded to some emails from friends of mine who are in the Pre-Law Society. We are currently part of the leadership group for the PLS, working to get the club functioning and involved on campus. This coincides with my value of loyalty.

I found it very interesting to reflect on my actions today and find that even though it is not quite three o’clock, I have actually acted upon all five of my most important values. I know these values will likely change over time and may shift in their ordering, but I know I will always do my best to live up to my values every day. These strong personal standards were put into place by my parents because they have always pushed my brothers and me to be the best people we can be and to always follow through with goals and plans we make. Although I currently do my best to live up to my personal values, I look forward to the future when I can achieve more of my goals, such as security. I want to be able to support my self and my family in the future. In addition, I look forward to the continuation of personal development and accomplishment that I will achieve in my future job and life experiences.

I agree with the passage when it states that, “Ultimately, of course, nobody can ever be objective,” (Lewis, 17). I appreciate that this was the start to this paragraph of the text because the last sentence of the preceding paragraph, which states, “Ideally we should have a new academic specialty, one devoted solely to an overall account of values, but such a specialty does not yet exist,” (Lewis, 17) seemed to be wishful thinking on the part of the author. I believe, and have learned in many social science classes, that we are influenced by both our genetic makeup, as well as our everyday human experiences, and that these two factors make it incredibly hard for any person to be completely objective. The author stated that someone without professional credentials might be able to come up with an “objective account of the entire spectrum of personal evaluations, beliefs, and systems” (Lewis, 17) just as well as anyone else. This is true, but not because they would lack the expertise that biases many credentialed professionals, instead, because they have the expertise of personal life experiences that set them up to be just as biased as any other person. As stated by the author, “he has personal evaluations and beliefs of his own, and these will inevitably color what he writes. Not only is the very desire to be objective a ‘value judgment’ of bias, so is the desire to define, categorize, compare, and contrast the different ways that we choose values,” (Lewis, 17). A layperson could not help but influence their account of the spectrum of values because of their own life experiences.

I did not find anything in the reading that I strongly disagreed with, however, I did not fully understand the author’s use of the quote from Walter Lippmann’s A Preface to Morals about “the unfortunate” suffering chronic anxiety. The preceding sentences stated, “Many people seem not only barraged by an informational overload of conflicting and ill-defined value systems; they also seem increasingly unsure about how to respond. The fortunate among us have strong values, however difficult it may be to articulate or defend those values. The unfortunate suffer chronic anxiety,” (Lewis, 18). I was curious as to whether he meant that the unfortunate lack values, and therefore suffer from anxiety; or whether they have many values, but do not have a strong reason to support and defend these values against conflicting value systems. I would agree that when a person lacks values completely, it would make life unbearably confusing. It would be very hard to find peace and pleasure with everyday activities. However, if it is taken to mean that the unfortunate have values, but do not have strong reasons to support them, it would seem that the person could find reasons pertaining to their life to support the values that they obtained, or if they cannot find satisfying reasons, they could change their values in support of other reasoning; either way, avoiding a life of chronic anxiety.