Artifact 2 – What is art for?
Objectives
- Consider the origins of art
- Explore a brief history of Western Art
- Examine multiple perspectives for evaluating art
Original Post
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- Dissanayake coined the term paleoanthropsychobiological in her article. This term describes art is related to human history closely, and it related to all human societies and it accounts for the fact that art is a psychological or emotional need and has psychological or emotional effects.
- “Making special” appears in page 22 of Dissanayake’s article says “one cares deeply about or activities whose outcome has strong personal significance” Then she talks about the “species-centered” which related with “making special”. Based on the theory modernism, art is a priority value of human with heightened personal experience and then post modernism theory thinks art belongs to everyone. “Making special” also relates to human survival that we make things different from ordinary and used in a good way.
- The first theory is Greek and medieval times. In this period, ordinary people’s views of art are different from the art of artists. Dissanayake also thinks in medieval times, the arts were in the service of religion. “Renaissance artists gradually replaced God-centered with man-centered concerns, but their works continued to portray a recognizable world, whether actual or ideal, and the ‘art’ was in accurately representing that subject matter, using craftsman-like standards of beauty, harmony, and excellence. (p.16) the second theory is modernism which appeared between 18th and 19th century. This theory means ideology and refers art as “aesthetics” which indicates principles such as “taste and beauty that govern all the arts and indeed make them not simply painting or status, but examples of fine art” (P.17) The third theory is postmodernism which appeared in 20th century. This theory challenges the entire “modernist ideology” that art can be the intrinsic of everybody and can be seen anywhere in our daily life. It challenges the aura of religiosity of museum. The theory also indicates that artiest are normal people and without any priority or privilege when viewing objects. Artiest like everybody “interprets art according to their individual and cultural sensibilities” (P.20).
Reflection:
From this artifact, I know the history and process for the development of art, especial the original art and western art. It leads me to thinking what art is. The definition of art is changed by the effect on religion, culture, war, history events and so on. Even if art is hard to determine by many mixed factors, in my opinion, art is necessary part in people’s life. Like one of behavior, art is natural talent for people and it current in normal life.
After reading the history of development of art, it is help me to make a conclusion of art compared and contrast the other’s ideas. Dissanayake given the different definition of art in history. Such as original art is more close to beauty, poetry and imagenaking” (P. 2). The definition of art in Modernism is more complex and close to human being life. Art more tend to a concept instead of objectives. Meanwhile, Dissanayake’s view of “palaeoanthropsychobiological” is meaningful for me to almost nearby art. She explained that “Art must be viewed as an inherent universal (or biological) trait of the human species, as normal and natural as language, sex, sociability, aggression, or any of the other characteristics of human nature” (P. 1). As seem as her opinion, I can’t more agree that art is characteristics of human nature. The behavior of art leads people own the sense to appreciate beauty things. Anyway, I think people must own the behavior of art; it is important factor for people to make life better.
In the further, the definition of art maybe will change by the history environment or the other factors. But I will keep thinking of what art is in my life always because art is necessary for human being. I can’t reject any opinion of art but I can add more meaningful thinking for art.
