SURVEY OF THE ARTS An Introduction to the Arts and Humanities
Laura Loveday
Art and the Eye of the Beholder Art and Audience Art and Artist
Art and Intention The arts strive to weave our experiences into
coherent bodies of knowledge and to communicate them to others
Art within humanities Art is how our ancestors recorded the
world around them in a time before cameras We record things the
same way today: in how we dress, what music we listen to, the
buildings we work and live in, or what we write You can tell what a
culture valued by their artwork
Science vs. Humanities Seeks to describe reality Attempts to
create a universal concept Measurable and quantitative Seeks to
describe humankinds experience of reality Gives form to emotion
More analytical approach
What would you guess about the person who owns these
items?
Concerns of art Creativity Aesthetic communication Symbols
Fine art and applied art Fine art is lauded for its aesthetic
quality Applied art includes architecture or handicrafts with a
decorative purpose
Arts purpose and function Among arts purposes: 1) Provide a
record 2) Give visible or other form to feelings 3) Reveal
metaphysical or spiritual truths 4) Help people see the world in
new or innovative ways Among arts functions: 1) Enjoyment 2)
Political and social commentary 3) Therapy 4) Artifact
Aesthetic perception and response 1. What is it? 2. How is it
put together? 3. How does the work appeal to our senses? 4. What
does this work mean?
1. What is it? 2. How is it put together? 3. How does the work
appeal to our senses? 4. What does this work mean?
Picasso believed a painting was a sum of destructions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1f7nHsQMFk 1. What is it? 2.
How is it put together? 3. How does the work appeal to our senses?
4. What does this work mean?
Criticism of art Plato vs. Aristotle Renaissance examined moral
worth of art and its relationship to nature
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vufba_ZcoR0
The late 1800s disregarded traditional criticism Today, we
evaluate art based through a lens
Formal criticism considers no external conditions or
information Contextual criticism considers related information
outside the artwork, such as facts about the artist, social and
political conditions, etc. Evaluating art
Artisanship Is the work well made? Understand the medium and
the style Communication Evaluate what the artwork tries to say and
if it was worth the effort. Does it offer a profound or unique
insight?
Art brut, or outsider art Idea developed by Jean Dubuffet in
the 1940s and Roger Cardinal in 1972 Work created by those outside
of mainstream art culture Artists may be self-taught May illustrate
extreme mental states, unconventional ideas, or fantasy worlds
