(Originally Written Feb. 18, 2008 in the Journal)
What is Art? And Essays on Art
Leo Tolstoy
Translated by Aylmer Maude
Hesperides Books, NY 1962
Introduction
How books should be read:
"To understand any book one must choose out the parts that are quite clear, dividing them from what is obscure or confused, and from what is clear we must form our idea of the drift and spirit of the work" (Maude, viii). Basically, this means we must first understand what is clear and intelligible and then once we have done that we can use this understanding to comprehend what is confused or obscure.
What may be comprehensible to some may be confusing to others.
What is comprehensible to all me is the essence of the book.
Art (my thesis!): "an activity by means of which one man, having experienced a feeling, intentionally transmits it to others" (Maude, viii).
Schools can teach a person to create something that can resemble art, but only when a person creates from his feelings can art be achieved.
Unless form is met, no art can be created.
Art shapes, forms, and develops a man's feelings. That is why it is so important.
Art is judged on its form and its power to transmit feelings.
Part I Schoolboys and art (1860)
Not everything that exists, exists for use. There is also beauty and art is beauty.
Each boy understood the difference between utility and beauty differently, but they all knew there was a difference.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Monday, January 7, 2008
Notes on "Art as Experience"
(Originally Written January 7, 2008 in the Journal)
"Art as Experience"
By: John Dewey
"Experience occurs continuously".
An experience occurs when it has run its course. Experience always happens, but an experience has a beginning and a consummation.
When we have an experience we experience a continual flow of parts. Each part blends to make a whole, yet each is distinct in spite of a continuous whole.
An experience has unity.
It has a movement, a beginning, anticipation, and conclusion. Each are fluid parts of the whole.
An experience has its own aesthetic quality.
"Art as Experience"
By: John Dewey
"Experience occurs continuously".
An experience occurs when it has run its course. Experience always happens, but an experience has a beginning and a consummation.
When we have an experience we experience a continual flow of parts. Each part blends to make a whole, yet each is distinct in spite of a continuous whole.
An experience has unity.
It has a movement, a beginning, anticipation, and conclusion. Each are fluid parts of the whole.
An experience has its own aesthetic quality.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Notes on "The Philsophy of Fine Art"
(Originally Written January 6, 2008 in the Journal)
"The Philosophy of Fine Art"
By: G.W.F. Hegel
In order for a thing to be considered art it must meet three standards:
1. It is man-made
2. It is made for man and addressed to his senses
3. It contains an end
As art is man-made it can be known and divulged, learned and reproduced.
A work of art originates in the human spirit.
Any work of fine art is of higher value than a work of nature because it has passed through the spirit and mind of man.
The function of fine art is to arouse feeling.
Art is not the mere imitation of nature.
Art is not purposed to achieve some moral end.
"The Philosophy of Fine Art"
By: G.W.F. Hegel
In order for a thing to be considered art it must meet three standards:
1. It is man-made
2. It is made for man and addressed to his senses
3. It contains an end
As art is man-made it can be known and divulged, learned and reproduced.
A work of art originates in the human spirit.
Any work of fine art is of higher value than a work of nature because it has passed through the spirit and mind of man.
The function of fine art is to arouse feeling.
Art is not the mere imitation of nature.
Art is not purposed to achieve some moral end.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Notes on Burke and Kant
(Originally Written January 5, 2008 in the Journal)
Actually Mr. Burke, I have a thought: any piece of art must be sublime in order to invoke emotion. The artist must master the use of the sublime. Sublime can be the syntax of art as language? Sublime as syntax, I like that. But does it work?
Study points: What are the components of language? Words, grammar, syntax... How does a language form? History, evolution? Are there paradigm shifts in language?
"Judgments about the Beautiful"
By: Immanuel Kant
Taste is the faculty of estimating an object by means of a delight or aversion apart from any interest.
When taste finds the object to be delightful, the object is called beautiful.
In order to make a judgment of taste (i.e. such and such is beautiful) one must be completely disinterested.
"The Beautiful is that which, apart from a concept, pleases universally".
What is beautiful is so, universally. That which is agreeable is particular. Whatever is agreeable, is 'agreeable-to-me'.
There are two types of Beauty:
1. Free beauty (pulchritudo vaga)
2. Dependent beauty (pulchritudo adhaerens)
Free beauty has no presupposition of what the object should be.
Dependent beauty presupposes a concept of what the object should be.
Those who are dependent beauties have a concept attached to them. Thus, a man/woman is a dependent beauty and each individual must be measured against the perfect concept of man.
Fine art is the art of genius.
Genius is natural endowment, talent.
Genius gives the rule to art.
Talent is an innate faculty of the artist.
Every art form presupposes rules which are at its foundation and render creation possible.
Only genius can give rule to fine art. Only genius can be the foundation of fine art and therefore genius is a necessary part of creating fine art.
Genius is a talent for producing art for which no definite rule can be given.
Originality is the primary property of genius. As such. genius cannot be taught.
Genius must establish itself as a rule to be imitated while being original itself.
Genius cannot account for how or why the thought came into his head, only that it did.
Actually Mr. Burke, I have a thought: any piece of art must be sublime in order to invoke emotion. The artist must master the use of the sublime. Sublime can be the syntax of art as language? Sublime as syntax, I like that. But does it work?
Study points: What are the components of language? Words, grammar, syntax... How does a language form? History, evolution? Are there paradigm shifts in language?
"Judgments about the Beautiful"
By: Immanuel Kant
Taste is the faculty of estimating an object by means of a delight or aversion apart from any interest.
When taste finds the object to be delightful, the object is called beautiful.
In order to make a judgment of taste (i.e. such and such is beautiful) one must be completely disinterested.
"The Beautiful is that which, apart from a concept, pleases universally".
What is beautiful is so, universally. That which is agreeable is particular. Whatever is agreeable, is 'agreeable-to-me'.
There are two types of Beauty:
1. Free beauty (pulchritudo vaga)
2. Dependent beauty (pulchritudo adhaerens)
Free beauty has no presupposition of what the object should be.
Dependent beauty presupposes a concept of what the object should be.
Those who are dependent beauties have a concept attached to them. Thus, a man/woman is a dependent beauty and each individual must be measured against the perfect concept of man.
Fine art is the art of genius.
Genius is natural endowment, talent.
Genius gives the rule to art.
Talent is an innate faculty of the artist.
Every art form presupposes rules which are at its foundation and render creation possible.
Only genius can give rule to fine art. Only genius can be the foundation of fine art and therefore genius is a necessary part of creating fine art.
Genius is a talent for producing art for which no definite rule can be given.
Originality is the primary property of genius. As such. genius cannot be taught.
Genius must establish itself as a rule to be imitated while being original itself.
Genius cannot account for how or why the thought came into his head, only that it did.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Notes on "The Sublime"
(Originally Written January 4, 2008 in the Journal)
"The Sublime"
By Edmund Burke
That which is sublime invokes a response in us.
Astonishment is the greatest response the sublime can invoke.
Astonishment occurs when the soul has all of its motions suspended so that we can think on nothing else and yet be unable to reason upon that object that has astonished us.
Terror and fear have more power to rob the mind of reason than any other passion.
Fear is an "apprehension of pain or death"
That which is terrible or invokes fear in us is therefore sublime.
In order for something to truly terrify, it must be obscure.
Well Mr. Burke, you were useless!
"The Sublime"
By Edmund Burke
That which is sublime invokes a response in us.
Astonishment is the greatest response the sublime can invoke.
Astonishment occurs when the soul has all of its motions suspended so that we can think on nothing else and yet be unable to reason upon that object that has astonished us.
Terror and fear have more power to rob the mind of reason than any other passion.
Fear is an "apprehension of pain or death"
That which is terrible or invokes fear in us is therefore sublime.
In order for something to truly terrify, it must be obscure.
Well Mr. Burke, you were useless!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Notes on "Of the Standard of Taste"
(Originally Written December 27, 2007 in the Journal)
God give me the strength of mind to pursue this topic to its fullest. Grant me the wisdom needed in discovering your Truth. God give me the desire to seek you in every topic.
"Of the Standard of Taste"
By David Hume
(Continued)
There is a difference between sentiment and judgment.
All sentiments are right and true. Only one judgment is right and true.
A sentiment does not represent what exists in the object, only the feelings aroused in the sentiment holder.
Beauty does not exist in the object. "It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty".
To search out the real beauty is a fruitless activity. It is like seeking out the real sweet or the real bitter.
Common sense demands that there is no true beauty or no right taste; but, common sense also demands that people who prefer a finger painting to the Mona Lisa have wrong sentiments.
When something is pleasing but does not conform to the accepted rules of the medium it is pleasing in spite of its non-conformity, not because of it.
Homer pleased Athens and Rome. He pleased Paris and London in Hume's day. He pleases New York and D.C. today. Authority and prejudice may give temporary vogue to lesser, current authors, but they will diminish in time. Only great works are timeless.
[Thus, is beauty gauged on time?]
While there can be a variance of taste and sentiment, there must also be certain general principles of approbation or blame.
Beauty and deformity are not qualities in objects, but belong entirely to sentiment. However, it must be admitted that certain qualities in objects are predisposed to arousing these sentiments.
The delicacy of taste is the ability to discern all of these qualities. Those who posses this trait are more qualified to have their taste made into a standard of taste. (i.e. Sancho's taste for wine in Don Quixote).
Practice is how one acquires this delicacy of taste.
"Every work of art has also a certain end or purpose for which it is to be deemed more or less perfect, as it is more or less fitted to attain this end".
The principles of taste in men are universal and nearly or entirely the same in all men. But, few are qualified to give judgment on any work of art or to establish their own sentiment as the standard of beauty.
Key points:
1. Beauty exists in the mind of the observer, not in the object itself.
2. To seek Absolute Beauty is fruitless.
3. Taste is subjective because it is based on our sentiments. Only those who have been finely tuned to observing every part of what is beautiful are qualified to give sound judgment on works of art.
4. Those things that possess universal qualities that arouse the sentiment of beauty are timeless and culturally universal. Things that are merely agreeable in a given time and place are not necessarily beautiful.
5. "Every work of art has also a certain end or purpose". Art has a function. It relays a message. It can be judged as more perfect or less perfect on how effective it is in achieving its designed end.
1. Is this true?
2. If it is, who gives it the purpose?
God give me the strength of mind to pursue this topic to its fullest. Grant me the wisdom needed in discovering your Truth. God give me the desire to seek you in every topic.
"Of the Standard of Taste"
By David Hume
(Continued)
There is a difference between sentiment and judgment.
All sentiments are right and true. Only one judgment is right and true.
A sentiment does not represent what exists in the object, only the feelings aroused in the sentiment holder.
Beauty does not exist in the object. "It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty".
To search out the real beauty is a fruitless activity. It is like seeking out the real sweet or the real bitter.
Common sense demands that there is no true beauty or no right taste; but, common sense also demands that people who prefer a finger painting to the Mona Lisa have wrong sentiments.
When something is pleasing but does not conform to the accepted rules of the medium it is pleasing in spite of its non-conformity, not because of it.
Homer pleased Athens and Rome. He pleased Paris and London in Hume's day. He pleases New York and D.C. today. Authority and prejudice may give temporary vogue to lesser, current authors, but they will diminish in time. Only great works are timeless.
[Thus, is beauty gauged on time?]
While there can be a variance of taste and sentiment, there must also be certain general principles of approbation or blame.
Beauty and deformity are not qualities in objects, but belong entirely to sentiment. However, it must be admitted that certain qualities in objects are predisposed to arousing these sentiments.
The delicacy of taste is the ability to discern all of these qualities. Those who posses this trait are more qualified to have their taste made into a standard of taste. (i.e. Sancho's taste for wine in Don Quixote).
Practice is how one acquires this delicacy of taste.
"Every work of art has also a certain end or purpose for which it is to be deemed more or less perfect, as it is more or less fitted to attain this end".
The principles of taste in men are universal and nearly or entirely the same in all men. But, few are qualified to give judgment on any work of art or to establish their own sentiment as the standard of beauty.
Key points:
1. Beauty exists in the mind of the observer, not in the object itself.
2. To seek Absolute Beauty is fruitless.
3. Taste is subjective because it is based on our sentiments. Only those who have been finely tuned to observing every part of what is beautiful are qualified to give sound judgment on works of art.
4. Those things that possess universal qualities that arouse the sentiment of beauty are timeless and culturally universal. Things that are merely agreeable in a given time and place are not necessarily beautiful.
5. "Every work of art has also a certain end or purpose". Art has a function. It relays a message. It can be judged as more perfect or less perfect on how effective it is in achieving its designed end.
1. Is this true?
2. If it is, who gives it the purpose?
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Aesthetics - What is Beauty? What is Art?
(Originally Written on December 25, 2007 in the Journal)
Aesthetics - What is Beauty? What is Art?
Part I: What is Beauty?
Questions for consideration:
1) Is beauty subjective, objective, or a combination thereof?
2) What is taste?
Part II: Explore different mediums, define art (as a language?)
Research Topics
Immanuel Kant
David Hume
Ludwig Wittgenstein
John Dewey
Leo Tolstoy
Plato
Nelson Goodman
Arthur C. Danto
Martin Heidegger
Jerrold Levinson
Terry Eagleton
Michel Foucault
Friedrich Nietzsche
Aristotle
Edmund Burke
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Topics: mediums, perception of art, why create?
"Of the Standard of Taste"
By: David Hume
It is useful for us to seek a "standard of taste".
A standard of taste is "a rule by which the various sentiments of men may be reconciled".
Aesthetics - What is Beauty? What is Art?
Part I: What is Beauty?
Questions for consideration:
1) Is beauty subjective, objective, or a combination thereof?
2) What is taste?
Part II: Explore different mediums, define art (as a language?)
Research Topics
Immanuel Kant
David Hume
Ludwig Wittgenstein
John Dewey
Leo Tolstoy
Plato
Nelson Goodman
Arthur C. Danto
Martin Heidegger
Jerrold Levinson
Terry Eagleton
Michel Foucault
Friedrich Nietzsche
Aristotle
Edmund Burke
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Topics: mediums, perception of art, why create?
"Of the Standard of Taste"
By: David Hume
It is useful for us to seek a "standard of taste".
A standard of taste is "a rule by which the various sentiments of men may be reconciled".
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