Before reading this week’s assignment, I thought that the word “art” just describes literally the creatures by human such as sculpture and music and many more. I have heard that those creatures imply something, but I have never deeply thought about it and never known that the “art” mean that a lot of things. The author states, “First, that the idea of art encompasses all of human history (i.e., as far back as the Paleolithic or even earlier): Second, that it include all human societies (i.e., is anthropological or cross-cultural): and third, that It accounts for the fact that art is a psychological or emotional need and has psychological or emotional effects.” (Page 15) In the reading, the author also mentions an adjective “palaeoanthropsychobiological”, which means that the “art” includes all human history, human cultures, and human psychology by viewing “art” as an inherent universal trait of the human species. To be specific, the author explains about Western concept of art. She gives emphasis on five changes during the eighteenth century which is recognized as a focal point of modernity. The five changes are a gradual secularization of society, the rise of science, the social or interpersonal changes, an emphasis on reason as the best means for understanding and controlling the matters of life, and the great political revolutions in America and France. By looking at these changes relating to the “art”, the way of “art” has been changed along the five unprecedented changes. I remember that I have learned that there are different patterns along the centuries in high school. After reading this week’s article, I realized that the “art” is one of the ways of expressing the era when the artists lived in especially after medieval times. The author says, “In medieval times, the arts were in the service of religion…Renaissance artists gradually replaced God-centered with man-centered concerns… (Page 16) As art became man-centered, human started giving implied meaning in it and used it as representation of the truth and reality. As it evolves over time, the author comes up with species-centered view of art in the end which is beyond the man-centered art. By not confining the definition of art in the past way, this will lead “art” to a new way of expression.
In your article, you first talk about your own feelings for art. You thought that art “ just describes literally the creatures by human such as sculpture and music and many more” (Woong). This expression for art is very straightforward and interesting, although art is not that simple actually. However, Dissanayeke’s book “ What is art for” changes you and you begin to rethink this word deeply. Then you express some content from the book which is important for you. In this book, Dissanayeke coined a word to express art and it is “ palaeoanthropsychobiological”. You mentioned this word and quoted her explanation for this word. This word means art includes all human societies and all human history. In the mean time, art is a psychological need and have psychological effects. Then the author shows us the history of western european history. What makes me surprised is that you don’t mention modernism and pro modernism. You focus on the five important changes in the eighteenth century Dissanayeke introduced in her book. You then say in your article “I realized that the “art” is one of the ways of expressing the era when the artists lived in especially after medieval times” (Woong). From this sentence, I can know that you believe that art is evolving. Then you talk about this specifically. In the medieval society, art was god-centered. In the Renaissance, art became man-centered. In the future, the author believes art will be species-centered. From these Dissanayeke mentioned in her book, I also can find that art is evolving. But I don’t understand why you can get that art is one of the ways of expressing the era with these. Your idea for art is very interesting and it will be better if you can use more evidences or examples to support it.