What is art?
Art is anything that makes one feel something. There are numerous artists and art experts that agree with this definition of art. For instance, Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy concurred with this definition in his work, What is Art. He stated that “the activity of art is based on the fact that a man, receiving through his sense of hearing or sight another man’s expression or feeling, is capable of experiencing the emotion which moved the man who expressed it”1. In other words, Tolstoy is stating that art is a method of transferring emotions or sharing mutual emotions. Either way, art is creating emotion amongst its viewers.
Although art can be anything that makes one feel something, it can also be a form of expression. Nearly everything that is in existence in the world is a form of expression, so, in that case, art is expression. For instance, absurdism is a form of art that expresses concern regarding the nonsense that exists in the world. So, it is not necessarily meant to evoke emotion in its viewers, but it is expressing the emotion of the creator.
While art does not need to be beautiful, another kind of art, aesthetic art, should be beautiful. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, aesthetic is “of or relating to art or beauty”2 or “pleasing in appearance”2. Clearly, aesthetic should be any kind of art that is beautiful and triggers positive emotions in any of its viewers. Nonetheless, different people have different ideas of what is beautiful because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Thus, aesthetic is in the eye of the beholder. For example, to me, Guernica by Pablo Picasso is not exactly beautiful. I think that it’s an interesting piece, but it lacks a lot of color and I value color. Since the artwork does not align with what I value, I do not find it beautiful. However, like many do with most of Pablo Picasso’s works, many revere Guernica as a powerful anti-war painting that evokes deep emotion. Some value those deep emotions, so those viewers find the work beautiful. There are different ranges of beauty, so there are different ranges of what is aesthetic. Then again, some may believe that everything and anything can be aesthetic. In that case, those ranges would not even exist. It all lies within the beholder.
Art, and especially aesthetic art, can also be a mode of cultural expression. For instance, the United States’ flag has fifty stars to signify the fifty states that are in the United States. There are also thirteen stripes on the flag to represent the thirteen colonies that once comprised the United States. Finally, the flag uses white to demonstrate innocence, red to indicate hardiness, and blue to show the liberty and justice that is always present in the United States. The United States uses these colors and symbols to demonstrate exactly what the United States stands for; additionally, the flag can trigger feelings of patriotism and/or pride in some U.S. citizens. Consequently, the flag is a work of art, aesthetic, and culture. On the other hand, there can also be negative feelings that come from seeing the U.S. flag. So, the flag is not always aesthetic, but it is always art.
Another good example of art and aesthetic working as a part of culture is evidenced in Philosophical Aesthetics: A Way of Knowing and its Limits by Marcia Muelder Eaton. Eaton describes how “philosophy becomes more accessible to students when objects and activities from their own cultural experience are taken seriously”3. As objects or activities, art provides a way for students to familiarize themselves with different philosophies, specifically the philosophies of their own culture or others’ cultures. For example, reading books like Tolstoy’s allows students to familiarize themselves with past European culture and certain outlooks that Tolstoy or others may have had on the political quarrels that went on during that time period.
Unequivocally, nations can use art as a manner of expressing history or invoking patriotism. Nonetheless, art can also be expressive in other ways. Art can be used to express any range of emotions, people, places, and beauty, in the case of aesthetic art. Tracing back to the American flag as a work of art, the flag represents the people of the United States and the United States as a place. With its expressive colors, it demonstrates the sentiments that are within the United States’ people and places.
Because art is meant to invoke emotions or serve as representations of various feelings, art does make people better as a whole. The purpose of life is to find happiness. There are multifarious forms of art that create happiness for different people, especially aesthetic art because many people find happiness in beauty. All in all, it is wonderful that there are a lot of different kinds of art in existence because different people have different opinions of what is beauty and what gives them happiness. So, art makes people better because it can give them happiness, help others fulfill the ultimate purpose to life, and make them happier people in general.
Works Cited
1 - "Tolstoy's What Is Art?" Tolstoy's What Is Art? N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2015. <http://denisdutton.com/tolstoy.htm>
2 - Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2015. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aesthetic>
3- Eaton, Marcia Muelder. "Philosophical Aesthetics: A Way of Knowing and Its Limits." Journal of Aesthetic Education 28.3 (1994): 19.
Art is anything that makes one feel something. There are numerous artists and art experts that agree with this definition of art. For instance, Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy concurred with this definition in his work, What is Art. He stated that “the activity of art is based on the fact that a man, receiving through his sense of hearing or sight another man’s expression or feeling, is capable of experiencing the emotion which moved the man who expressed it”1. In other words, Tolstoy is stating that art is a method of transferring emotions or sharing mutual emotions. Either way, art is creating emotion amongst its viewers.
Although art can be anything that makes one feel something, it can also be a form of expression. Nearly everything that is in existence in the world is a form of expression, so, in that case, art is expression. For instance, absurdism is a form of art that expresses concern regarding the nonsense that exists in the world. So, it is not necessarily meant to evoke emotion in its viewers, but it is expressing the emotion of the creator.
While art does not need to be beautiful, another kind of art, aesthetic art, should be beautiful. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, aesthetic is “of or relating to art or beauty”2 or “pleasing in appearance”2. Clearly, aesthetic should be any kind of art that is beautiful and triggers positive emotions in any of its viewers. Nonetheless, different people have different ideas of what is beautiful because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Thus, aesthetic is in the eye of the beholder. For example, to me, Guernica by Pablo Picasso is not exactly beautiful. I think that it’s an interesting piece, but it lacks a lot of color and I value color. Since the artwork does not align with what I value, I do not find it beautiful. However, like many do with most of Pablo Picasso’s works, many revere Guernica as a powerful anti-war painting that evokes deep emotion. Some value those deep emotions, so those viewers find the work beautiful. There are different ranges of beauty, so there are different ranges of what is aesthetic. Then again, some may believe that everything and anything can be aesthetic. In that case, those ranges would not even exist. It all lies within the beholder.
Art, and especially aesthetic art, can also be a mode of cultural expression. For instance, the United States’ flag has fifty stars to signify the fifty states that are in the United States. There are also thirteen stripes on the flag to represent the thirteen colonies that once comprised the United States. Finally, the flag uses white to demonstrate innocence, red to indicate hardiness, and blue to show the liberty and justice that is always present in the United States. The United States uses these colors and symbols to demonstrate exactly what the United States stands for; additionally, the flag can trigger feelings of patriotism and/or pride in some U.S. citizens. Consequently, the flag is a work of art, aesthetic, and culture. On the other hand, there can also be negative feelings that come from seeing the U.S. flag. So, the flag is not always aesthetic, but it is always art.
Another good example of art and aesthetic working as a part of culture is evidenced in Philosophical Aesthetics: A Way of Knowing and its Limits by Marcia Muelder Eaton. Eaton describes how “philosophy becomes more accessible to students when objects and activities from their own cultural experience are taken seriously”3. As objects or activities, art provides a way for students to familiarize themselves with different philosophies, specifically the philosophies of their own culture or others’ cultures. For example, reading books like Tolstoy’s allows students to familiarize themselves with past European culture and certain outlooks that Tolstoy or others may have had on the political quarrels that went on during that time period.
Unequivocally, nations can use art as a manner of expressing history or invoking patriotism. Nonetheless, art can also be expressive in other ways. Art can be used to express any range of emotions, people, places, and beauty, in the case of aesthetic art. Tracing back to the American flag as a work of art, the flag represents the people of the United States and the United States as a place. With its expressive colors, it demonstrates the sentiments that are within the United States’ people and places.
Because art is meant to invoke emotions or serve as representations of various feelings, art does make people better as a whole. The purpose of life is to find happiness. There are multifarious forms of art that create happiness for different people, especially aesthetic art because many people find happiness in beauty. All in all, it is wonderful that there are a lot of different kinds of art in existence because different people have different opinions of what is beauty and what gives them happiness. So, art makes people better because it can give them happiness, help others fulfill the ultimate purpose to life, and make them happier people in general.
Works Cited
1 - "Tolstoy's What Is Art?" Tolstoy's What Is Art? N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2015. <http://denisdutton.com/tolstoy.htm>
2 - Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2015. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aesthetic>
3- Eaton, Marcia Muelder. "Philosophical Aesthetics: A Way of Knowing and Its Limits." Journal of Aesthetic Education 28.3 (1994): 19.
