Objectives:

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

Original Post:

One idea that this week’s reading talked about was the different types of approaches to art. Dissanayake talks about the subject of “aesthetics”. She said, “There is a special frame of mind for appreciating works of art… The work of art became a world in itself, made solely or primarily as an occasion for this kind of detached aesthetic experience, which was considered to be one of the highest forms of mentality.” (Dissanayake, 18.) I found this idea very intriguing. Personally, I have never delved that deeply into art. I have always been involved in athletics and school. I never imagined art being a whole world of its own. Reading this section really opened my eyes to just how special art can be. Dissanayake also wrote, “Works of art in themselves, apart from their subject matter, gave a special kind of knowledge.” (18.) This made me realize that art truly does have more to offer than simply this “aesthetic” experience. When Dissanayake talks about the aesthetic experience of art, it seems like a shallow approach to me. After reading this and learning more about the world of art, I have realized just how valuable and eye-opening art can be. It is so much more than just an aesthetic experience that is pleasing to the eye. A question that came to me while I was reading was this: Are there certain types of art that have more to offer than others? Or does all art in its own way have a lot to offer? Personally, I think that some art does have more knowledge and ideas to offer than others. For example, an ancient building that took years and years to build that has countless intricate designs throughout it would seem to me to have more knowledge to offer than a simple painting. This building has so much history behind it as well as so much time and effort that went into building it. Although the painting is intriguing in it’s own way and has many ideas to offer, I think the building would be a bigger experience overall for a person. After reading this piece, however, I have realized just how special all art can be.

Reflection:

I feel that this assignment helped me to effectively reach all of the objectives. However, I think that the one it helped me meet the objective of “examining multiple perspectives for evaluating art” the most. For example, in the reading, it talked about many different ways to interpret or understand art. Like I wrote in my post, “There is a special frame of mind for appreciating art” (Dissanayake, 18). This assignment helped me realize that there are many different “frames of mind” that can interpret/evaluate art.

In addition to this, the reading presented many different theories of art as well as a lot of history about art. I was able to explore and learn about the history of art through this reading and assignment.

Future Goals:

In the future, I would really like to use all of the things I learned from this artifact. I think it would be interesting to apply the theories I learned to art forms. It would cause me to be more insightful and see art in different ways. I also want to learn to appreciate art more. I feel that I don’t take enough time to appreciate the beauty in everything. In the future I want to make it a point to pursue art and appreciate its beauty.