“What is Art for?” by Ellen Dissanayake focus on the topic “art”. Before I read this article, I thought art is an subject and it has different meanings foe every single person in the world. However, Dissanayake thinks that most people have some of these ideas about art: “it encompasses all human history”, “it includes all human societies”, and “it accounts for the fact that art is psychological or emotional need has psychological or emotional effects ” (p. 15). She then says that art must be viewed as an inherent universal (or biological) trait of the human species”(p.15). Throughout the history of art, it was developed as human evolved, it helped human to survive in the past. Arts are also created for religion, for the political purposes. Art is fascinating because it is viewed differently by different viewers, which may come from different culture and tradition. An great art should bring people more questions rather than giving out answers.
Also, art is highly connected to society. There is no known society that dose not practice at least one kind of art. Dancing style, decorating the house, language are all a kind of art. Art is such a large part of our everyday lives that we may hardly even stop to think about it. It is good to have an artistic side for everyone because it bring people joyful, just like music and movies. Even more, art in fashion, people’s shoes and clothes are a kind of art. For example, a Japanese artist designed handbag for women, it sells very high price, is this consider art? I think it could be. the passion about art is one of the reason that people trend to spend more time and money to get a handbag or a furniture that designed by an artist. All functional design, well done, is art.
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Is it all functional design are art?
I like how you brought up the idea that fashion, dancing, decorations, and other societal norms can be considered forms of art because of the way they are artistically expressed. People do seem to spend more time and money on well made pieces of clothing or furniture because of the way they were intricately designed by the artist. The article, “What is Art For?” by Ellen Dissanayake discusses, “Among these tendencies, I claim, is also the behavior or propensity to “make special,” particularly things that one cares deeply about or activities whose outcome has strong personal significance.” This quote explains why each culture devotes so much time and effort to the mastery of certain trades. These artists create masterpieces because of the high level of interest in a certain form of art and the passion and determination from both those creating and appreciating art.
Hey, xiaoxue, I really like the sentence you said: “An great art should bring people more questions rather than giving out answers.” Indeed, art can be defined just in a couple of simple word. Dissanayake stated: “Disinterest implied that viewers could appreciate any art, even the artwork of eras or cultures far removed from their own, whether or not they understood the meaning the works had for the people who made and used them. In this sense, art was ‘universal.’”(Dissanayake, p. 18) Art is such an abstractive word and it makes us to explore as well as explains it. Although we can’t exactly know the original of art, it exists round us. Like you said the Dancing style, handbags, languages is kind of art. I agree with it. “Art is a diverse range of human activities and the products of those activities.” (Wikipedia). Art can present in different ways. However, when the people are chasing the high price handbag from a famous designer, it’s chasing the art? Some buyers might prefer the function of the bag. Some buyers might is simply follow the general trend and just consider the so-called luxury goods. They are not buying an “art”.
Hello, Simin, Thanks for your comment. I think fashion is an art from, as well as the handbag which are well designed by artist. When people buy them , they might use it as decoration rather than an artwork, but what’s the distinction? The same amount of artistic expression goes into clothes, or a painting. Fashion shows what people wear at a certain time, the same as a painting show what people doing in a certain time. Both of them shows the relations between art producer and receiver. Some people may argue that modern art forms, such as clothes are designed to distinguish from fine art. However, I would say, both of them have the same function of dictating, people put a painting on the wall to show their taste and enrich the color of the room, we can see the same function of clothes and handbags. In this point, we can see when people buying fine handbags, they are buying a artwork. If you look at it that way, fine art may go by the wayside, and fashion, which has a bit more effort put into it, will take over.
You showed me a really good summary of “What is art for?” I can understand the essay more clearly after read your summary. However, after reading your summary, I just come up a question about art. My question is: Why you said the art is developing as the time goes by? Because some old cultures and arts are becoming extinct at the cost of “developing” new cultures and new art styles. For example, China is a long history country. And as the economic globalization, China has gradually lost some quintessence of Chinese culture. Although China is becoming more globalism, 90% kindergarden students only know how to speak English instead of local dialect. Their parents are trying to teach them English as mother language for their future school work and career. So when we obtain some new things and try to “develop” the art, aren’t we losing something more important?
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