Aesthetics

the philosophy of art that deals with the nature of beauty and judgment of taste.
Esthetic (or aesthetic) refers to a person’s sense of what is beautiful.

1. Art as an imitation (Plato)

Plato in his book, The Republic, portrays artists as imitators and art as an imitation. In his opinion,
art should be abolished as a subject in the curriculum. In Plato’s view of reality (or metaphysics), the
things in this world are only copies of the original. He believed that it is only in the in the World of Forms,
where the eternal and the true entities (the so-called the ideal) can only be found.

Plato was deeply suspicious of arts and artists for two reasons:

1.Artists and the arts appeal to the emotion rather than reason.

2. Artists and the arts imitate rather than the way to reality.

 A painting, for instance, is just an imitation of nature, which in turn, is just an imitation of reality in
the World of Forms.

 Art is dangerous since it provides a petty replacement of the real entities that can only be attained
though reason

 Art should be abolished as a subject in the curriculum

2.Art as a representation (Aristotle)

Aristotle, agreed with Plato that art is a form of imitation. However, Aristotle disagreed with
Plato about the role of imitation. He considered art as an aid to philosophy because the kind of imitation
that art does is not contrary to the search for fundamental truths.

For Aristotle, ideas of art are possible versions of reality. He believed that all kinds of art do not aim to
represent reality as it is but endeavor to provide a version of what might be or the countless possibilities of
reality.

In Aristotelian worldview, art serves two particular purposes:

1.Art allows people to experience pleasure.

2.Art has an ability to teach things about life.

3.Art as a disinterested judgment (Immanuel Kant)

In his Critique of Judgment, Immanuel Kant considers the judgment of beauty as something that
can be universal despite is subjectivity. He believes that subjective judgments are based on some universal
criterion.

How and in what sense can a judgment of beauty, recognized to be a subjective feeling, be considered
objective or universal?

Consider these two statements:

(1) “I like this painting.” and (2) “This painting is beautiful.”

The first statement is subjective because it is clearly a judgment of taste while the second statement is
objective due to it being an aesthetic judgement.

Making an aesthetic judgment requires us to be neutral or without prejudice. In other words, we should try
to go beyond our individual tastes and preferences so that we can appreciate art from a universal
standpoint.

4.Art as a communication of emotion ( Leo Tolstoy)

Leo Tolstoy’s What is Art? (1896) is a discourse concerning the nature and purpose of art.
According to Tolstoy, art plays a huge role in communicating to its audience the emotions that the artist
previously experienced. In the same way that a language communicates information to people, art
communicates emotions. Art conveys a man’s innermost feelings and thoughts in order to be understood.
Hence, art serves as a mechanism for social unity.

SUMMARY

In The Republic, Plato had two theories of art. According to this theory, art imitates the objects and
events of ordinary life, which in turn imitate the Forms, therefore, art is always a copy of a copy, that
leads us even further from truth and toward illusion. For this reason, as well as its power to stir the
emotions, art is dangerous.

Aristotle, like Plato, believed that art involved imitation (mimesis). He considered art as an attempt to
look for the universal truths in individual’s destiny.

Kant argues that in making aesthetic judgments (or 'judgments of taste'), we must be disinterested. To be
disinterested means that we are impartial and thus we take pleasure in something because we deem it
beautiful, rather than deciding it is beautiful because we find it pleasurable.

Tolstoy describes art as an expression of a feeling or experience in a manner that the audience to whom
the art is addressed can relate to that feeling or experience. Art, thus, is a means of communication.

1.Art is simply a copy or an imitation, thus, it cannot give the viewer or the audience any real knowledge
about the world. Plato
2.Art can be wild and dangerous because it appeals to passion or emotion.Plato
3.Art reflects human emotions and sentiments.Tolstoy
4.The judgment of beauty in art is subjective. What is judged to be beautiful requires agreement with
others. Kant

ART THEORIES

1. Formalism

 Formalism claims that art is best when it effectively uses the elements of art and principles of design.
 A formalist focuses solely on how an artwork looks– color, line, shape, and texture.
 The historical or social context behind the artwork has no bearing on what matters only is the
composition.
 Formalism began with modern art and the rise of abstract and expressionist works

2. Imitationalism / Mimetic

 The imitationalism or mimetic theory of art dictates that artwork is good when it imitates life.
 To mistake an artwork for a real thing rather than a replica from a distance, is a piece prized under
imitationalism. The more realistic, the better.

3. Instrumentalism

 An instrumentalist is concerned only with the context of art and not with composition.
 Best artworks are those that convey a message or shape how we see the world.
 instrumentalism states that art is good when it serves as a tool to influence or change society.

4. Emotionalism

 The emotionalism theory emphasizes the expressive qualities of an artwork.

 Communication between the artwork and the viewer is important. The artwork is considered
excellent, if the art is able to elicit a feeling from the audience.
 Not concerned with how an observer is attracted to the artwork but how it was able to arouse a
mood or idea to the viewer regardless of the artwork’s composition, context, or narrative or story.
 SUBJECT OF ART

The subject of art pertains to any person, object, scene, or event described or represented in a
work of art. It suggests the main idea of the piece and responds to the question, “What is the artwork
about?”

Practically anything under the sun can be a subject of art. Depending on the subject, art can be:
1. representational or objective (arts that have subjects)

2. non-representational or nonobjective (arts that do not have recognizable subjects)

 Objective arts are easily recognizable by most people because they depict or represent common
or familiar objects. This kind of art attempt to copy something very real even in a subjective
manner. It uses “form” and is concerned with “what” is to be shown in the artwork

 Non-Objective arts are those without any recognizable objects. These arts do not have any
reference to anything outside itself. They are called abstract in the sense because they do not
represent real objects in our world. Non-Objective arts use “content” and are concerned solely with
“how” the artwork is depicted

CONTENT IN ART

If the subject of art deals with the “what” aspect, content in art pertains to the “why” aspect. Why did the
artist create this artwork? Content is concerned with the message or the meaning behind the artwork.
Basic to the understanding of content in art is the knowledge of the different levels of meaning of the
subject matter.

The first level and the most common is FACTUAL MEANING which can be easily seen from the
recognizable forms in the artwork. The second level is CONVENTIONAL MEANING which
is based on what is generally believed. The artwork can be interpreted using signs, icons, symbols, motifs,
and other signs commonly understood. The third level is SUBJECTIVE MEANING. People have different
responses to a work of art, and thus art takes on various meanings. Our perception and understanding
of an artwork can be influenced by our personal circumstances – our moods, experiences, knowledge,
values, etc.

DIFFERENT KINDS OR SOURCES OF SUBJECTS OF ART

There are endless types or sources of subjects that artists may use in their work. Below are common or
traditional subjects that have been employed since ancient time.

1.Landscapes,or other terms like urbanscapes, seascapes, cityscapes and farmscapes, are works of art
that show the physical environment.

2.Still Life refers to groups of inanimate objects arranged in indoor setting (e.g. flower vases, dishes of
food on dining table, pots and pans on kitchen table, etc.)

3.Nature as an art subject focuses on animals (e.g. insects, frogs, etc.), plants or their parts, stones and
minerals of the earth. They are usually results of close-up observations of nature. Animals are the subjects
in earliest known paintings.

4.Portrait is a realistic rendition of a person in sculpture, painting, drawing, print or photograph.

5.Figures are the subjects of artists in which the chief focus is showing the human body, nude or clothed.

6.Genre or everyday life subjects depict the common or everyday ordinary life of people.

7.History and legend subjects show significant scenes in history, myths, legends and folklores.

8.Religion and mythology arts are used to educate, teach, inspire feelings of devotion and convert non-
believers to a certain belief or religion. Many artists get inspiration from the beauty and magic of
mythological characters.

9.Dreams and fantasies usually portray figures, scenes or objects that are strange, absurd or out-of-this-
world.
10. Abstract types are not recognizable because they do not have any reference to the real world. The
usual subjects are depicted by splash of colors, shapes, brushstrokes, size and scale.

1. Loosely defined, the term humanities refers to the arts – the visual arts such as, painting,
and sculpture; the performing arts such as music, dance, theatre or drama, and
literature. They are the branches of learning concerned with human thought, feelings,
and relations.
3. The term art comes from the
Italian word, artis, which means “craftsmanship, skill, mastery of form, inventiveness, and the
association that exist between form and ideas
and between material and techniques;” from the Aryan root ar which means “to join” or
“put together”, from
the Greek words “ artizein,” which means to “prepare”, and arkiskein,
meaning to put together.”
3. Art is very important in our lives as it is concerned with the communication of certain
ideas and feelings by means of a sensuous medium – color, sound, bronze, marble,
words, and film.
4. The subject of art is varied. Some arts are representational; others are
nonrepresentational, non-objective, or abstract.
5. All arts have functions for people since they satisfy particular needs of people.
6. Visual arts or space arts are those that we perceive with our eye and which occupy
space.
7. Auditory or time arts are those that can be heard and are expressed in time.
8. Combined arts are those that can be both seen and heard and exist in both space and
time.

From the definitions above, there are four (4) common essentials of art: 1. Art
must be man-made; 2. Art must be creative, not imitative; 3. Art must benefit and satisfy
man and man must make use of art in practical terms; and 4. Art is expressed through a
certain medium or material by which the artist communicates himself to his fellow