Objectives:

• Examine methods for evaluating qualities of art, such as product versus process, the difference between craft and fine art, must art be archival, and what is an aesthetic reaction.
•  Explore the notion of food as an art-form.
•  Consider cultural differences in the production and consumption food.

Original Post:

In the article “Can Food Be Art?” the author Andrea Borghini from three aspects to show that why food and art are close and they cannot be separate. First, he states that art can be saved for years or even centuries, but the food is consumables, it cannot be saved for a long time. When people finish eating, food does not exist. So, food is hard to be shared and preserved by people. However, the author also claims that art is through analyzing some experiences to make it be accepted by people, it does not depend on time period. So, even food is saved with short time, it still can be remembered by some people, because of its taste. It is Just like people listening music, some people who are really like music also can remember a short music. Second, Borghini points out that eating food is similar with see artworks. When you appreciate art, they might change some of your views, just like eating different flavors, that will break your taste, give you a lot of new flavors. That’s why food is related with art. Third, the author says hat different food have different meanings. Borghini gives some points to show that food is contain several meanings, such as chocolate, different people bring chocolate do not have the same meaning. The chocolate does not have any meanings, but the people who are carry it is the key point, so to some extent, the key meaning is from people, not from the food. It is like artworks, the painting is not having specific meaning if no one to explain the story, and share the experience about that painting. Therefore, food and art is similar, they are both need external effects to make them special.

After read this article, I think Borghini’s ideas are more specific to explain why food can be art. When I read the article “What is Art for”, I just know some general concept about art, because in that article Dissanayake states that art is important, it included “all of human history, all human societies, it is a psychological or emotional need and has psychological or emotional effects”(p.15). When I read the article, I do not think that art contains food. In my opinion, art is can be regarded as cultural, history, and society. These aspects always are mentioned with artworks. Otherwise, from the article “What is Art for?” I also learned that art is “as normal as natural as language, sex, sociability, aggression, or any of the other characteristics of human nature”(Dissanayake, p.15). So, art is also related with human’s language and human’s natural. Thus, from this article, I cannot know that food is also a form of art; I still think art is high standard for people, not everything can be regarded as art. In addition, Dissanayake mentions three theories of art. First is the man-centered concern, which was developed in the medieval times. Second, modernism, which was developed in the 19th century. Third, postmodernism, it means art is interpretation. The author list three different periods to explain the art meaning to let people aware of the importance of the art.

However, after I read the article “Is Food Art?” I changed my mind, because in this article, Telfer mentions, “if the distinction between craft and art is based on the degree of creativeness, some cookery can still qualify as an art”(p.16). This sentence is to support that cookery is also an art craft, it also support that food can be another form of art. The reason why the author thinks that food is also can be regard as art is that she believes that food is contains people’s emotions. In here article, she says, “cooking can in one sense be an expression of emotion, a cook can cook as an act of love, as we have seen, or out of the joy of living”(p.26). Before I read this article I do not believe that food is include people’s love and emotions, because I think that is always appear in the TV shows and other cooking programs. However, after read this article, I totally changed my mind. Due to Telfer in her article “Is Food Art?” points out lots of examples to support that cooking is contains human’s emotions and love, that makes me remember my mother always cook food for me, those food are all including my mother’s love. Otherwise, the writer also want through this article to let people know more things about art, and tell the readers food is an important part of art, and they are close.

Bibliography:

Borghini, A. Philosophy Expert. Can Food Be Art? Retrieved from: http://philosophy.about.com/od/Philosophical-Theories-Ideas/a/Can-Food-Be-Art.htm

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.

Tefler, E. (2002). Food as Art. In Neill, A. & Riley, A. (eds.) Arguing About Art: Contemporary Philosophical Debates (2nd ed., Chap. 2). New York, NY: Routledge.

Reflection:

The reason why I choose this picture is because I think food can be regarded as art, it also can gives people a good feeling, just like this picture, makes food cute, if I eat this meal, I will become happier. And the reason why I choose this artifact is because it let me learn a lot of thing about food art. Before I read the article “Food as Art”, I do not think that food can be considered as art, but after read this article, I changed my mind about the relationship between art and food. As Telfer mentions in her article, cookery is also an art craft “ if the distinction between craft and art is based on the degree of creativeness, some cookery can still qualify as an art”(p.16). That’s sound interesting! But it is a reasonable point. Because when cooks make a cake, they are like the artists, every cake in their hands is a craft. It includes the cooks’ emotions and their passions. So, to some extent, make cakes are like create an art craft. In addition, Telfer states that “ cooking can in one sense be an expression of emotion, a cook can cook as an act of love, as we have seen, or out of the joy of living”(p.26). I think this point is good, because when people cooking food, they always feel happy, such as a wife cook food for her husband and children, she cooking food with love and she is enjoyable. Because in my opinion, art can improve the quality of people’s lives and let people live better and happier. Since food can give a family happiness and enjoyment, so food can be regarded as art. Just like Dissanayake said in her article “What is Art for”, she mentioned that art includes “all of human history, all human societies, it is a psychological or emotional need and has psychological or emotional effects”(p.15). Because art is contains human’s emotions, food cooking also contains people’s emotions, so the relationship between food and art is close. Thus,after read this artifact, I learned more things about art.

Future Goals:

In the future, I want to learn more about food art. Food is an essential part of people’s lives, food not only can deal with people’s hungry, but also can bring happiness to people. So food has the similar effects for people, it can be regarded as another form of art. Otherwise, different countries has different kinds of food, just like the image under this paragraph. So, I want travel to other countries in the future, to test their food and learn some different cultures.

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