Objectives:

• Consider the origins of art
• Explore a brief history of Western Art
• Examine multiple perspectives for evaluating art

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Reflection:

This week’s reading by Dissanayke was difficult to me.  I’m not sure what made it so difficult but I think the organization of it was not the best.  However, I mention in my discussion post a couple of quotes from her paper that I strongly agreed with: “something that is ‘special’ is different from the mundane, the everyday, the ordinary.  It is extra-ordinary” (Dissanayke, 22).  In this quote Dissanayke suggests that what makes something art is it being special.  She mentions “art must be viewed as an inherent universal (or biological) trait of the human species” and along with these traits there was a trait “to ‘make special’” (Dissanayke, 22).  I mention in my discussion post that “I have always been struggling to determine what art is, and I believe her definition is the best argument I’ve heard so far” (here).

This reflection, and the reading, lead me through a thought process where I was able to think about all the different ways one could evaluate art.  By this I mean that everyone could have a different thought process on determining whether something is, or should be, considered art.  I have to go with what Dissanayke said: art is an act: to make something special.  I talked in my discussion post about a young girl coloring with water paints as an example of how making something special can be considered art in different eyes.

This is a picture of a painting drawn by my niece. I think it is a beautiful piece of art because it is special to her and she organized the colors in a unique way that made it her own.

Future:

Now that I have knowledge of how things could be considered art, it feels as if a new world has opened up before me.  I can now look at things I would have never seen before and view them in an artful way.  Meaning that if someone tried to make this “thing” special, it can be considered art.

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