Category: Unit 03

Essay Assignment: What is art for ?

1. Dissanayake ‘s  view is that in order to include human history, guam cultures, and human psychology, art 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. Dissanayake created this term.

2.Something is “special ” means it is different from the mundane, the everyday, the ordinary. “make special” particularly things that one cares deeply about or activities whose outcome has strong personal significance. It is not only recognized something is special, but make it special.

3.   Renaissance
 Represents reality in medieval time. From religious art, Renaissance focused on real world and represented accurate portrait of the situation.
       Modernism: Art as Ideology.
18th century thinkers turned their attention to was a subject that came to be called “aesthetics”. The subject developed over the next century. 
      Postmodernism
In the mid-twentieth century, more elaborate and abstract formalist standards were developed in America by critics like Clement Greenberg and Harold Rosenberg in order to justify abstract expressionism. From the modernism art which people have difficult to interpret, postmodernism focused on interpretation of art. In this era, the paintings reflected social issues and lamentation that the artists faced with. The social issues were different in various regions so that the postmodern arts depicted cultural portraits that people can understand and study for the era.

Respond to Simin’s comment

check here for the comment and respond.

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.

 

Comment on Simin Chen’s post

Check this link for the post and my comment.

Simin Chen uses Dissanayake’s words to explain the art is different in viewers’ eyes based on their cultural, environmental differences. The example in this post explained people who come from different area in this world would see the world map in different ways. This is understandable, however, people which are more international may see the world map in an other point of view. When Simin related this example to the fact that most people like the same art, such as “Mona Lisa’s smile”, it becomes hard for me to follow.  In fact, most people never see this painting and they never really think about if they love it or not. The fact is most people believe the value of this painting: it is one of the best work of Leonardo da Vinci and he allocated big amount of time in order to complete this artwork. He translated the image in his imagination through the strokes of his brush.  People love this artwork because they appreciate this great artist.  Also, people love it because it cannot be reproduced.  People don’t love the same art, they love fine arts, which are famous, valuable and cannot be reproduced.They have been created primarily for intellectual purposes and judged for its beauty and meaningfulness, specifically, painting, sculpture, and architecture(Rhode). In this case, people with different culture could like same art, however, art is not only includes the fine arts, there are many more type of arts and some of them are totally defined by people’s own preferences.

 

Work Cites

Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI – MFA in Ceramics, Glass, Jewelry + Metalsmithing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Textiles; BFA in Film/Animation/Video, Illustration.

Post1: “What is Art for?”

 

“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.

 Work  Cites

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.