Tolstoy
what is the purpose of art?
-- to promote empathy & intimacy among humans; connections made through artworks
-- not a form of pleasure; union of men sharing same feelings
-- artist shares experiences w others thru creations; forms bond w humans; make world better by bringing humanity together
what is formalism?
-- the view that we concentrate on form as basis of aesthetics
-- separate from personal judgment and biases; capitalized by physical qualities; ex.) triumph of will: camera angles, cinematography
what is moral gentrification?
-- white gaze; privileged view of white character to white audience; pushes out african perspective -- centered out on white savior
-- white characters are 3d; african characters are 2d
-- africans are seen as "savage"; other harmful racial stereotypes
what does hegel mean by 'idea'?
-- it is what humanity as a collective thinks & shares; conception of humanity, who we are
why does dutton consider forgeries less valuable?
-- Art is a performance and forgeries misrepresent the original performance, thus are less important;; forgeries present itself an origin it does not really have
-- a forgery can be a good forgery if performance it is the performance itself, however it's bad because of it's misrepresentation of the original.
what does tolstoy mean by "infectiousness" of genuine art?
-- art must infect feeling of author to spectators; all that has been lived through artist accessible to humans - even those spanning over thousand years
-- stronger the infection, better the art; person must be infected w an author's soul
what is form?
-- form: way art is made, what it looks like
what is africanism?
-- eurocentrism ideas of how africans act -- disfavorable attributes
what are hegel's three periods of art?
-- aura is the distinctive atmosphere (uniqueness) that makes the audiences feel something, either great or special
-- mechanical reproduction diminishes the aura bc it takes away the actual feeling; ex.) an artwork having an aura is art in the church, it can't be replicated since it is used in a particular way
they amount to each other bc an original piece of work has an aura while the copy doesn't. the same could be said for dutton's view of an original piece of work being more valuable than a forgery.
what are the 3 criteria for genuine art?
-- individuality = unique, a distinct experience
-- clarity: can be understood, is clear
-- sincerity: (most important); should be motivated by inner need to express feelings as experiences - force of emotions of artist
why does Deve think formalism is immoral?
-- to accept formalism is to distance the viewer from work of art
-- doesn't consider content; which is important in artwork; content shouldn't be bracketed off; artwork isn't fully appreciated if content is separated from form
-- formal characteristics are required; painting needs shape & color
-- form & content = organic unity = if separated are immoral
why is this bad?
-- make it seem natural/normal; alt perspective -- sends out misinformation = black men are dangerous
-- feeds white people's racism = media
-- views are not questioned; seen as natural
how do each relate to the Idea?
symbolic: the Idea is underdeveloped, embodied in symbols that gesture toward Idea; symbols represent some type of meaning
classical: Idea is embodied in human form; everything in piece works together; form almost equals matter "adequate to one another"
romantic: Idea has exceeded capacity of sensuous forms to embody it; can't be represented in bodily form or medium; more than what can be made; art end w a purpose, too complex that it cannot be explained, expressed, embodied
-- all artworks = form & matter; conception of humanity in forming certain things then is too complicated to be expressed fully
is dutton in defense of kant?
kant's criteria:
-- originality: unique artwork special to the individual
-- exemplary: pioneering standard for judgment of good artwork
-- ineffability: can't be described in words
-- unscientific: made without using specific formula, rules or recipe
dutton is not in defense of kant with the genius criteria bc he doesn't focus on the person creating the art, rather he focuses on the art itself; dutton thinks the original art is performance from the artist, performance is smth unique from the artist.
kant criteria of artwork is specific to the artist and cannot be replicated -- while dutton thinks original art has a greater value.
kant thinks that art from a genius becomes the standard for good art -- while dutton thinks art is a performance -- kant says art cannot be explained by words
with dutton, the art is a 1st of its kinds, kant deems its creation to be without rules or recipe
does tolstoy reject art in homes/rich people?
-- calls rich art "counterfeit" since it doesn't communicate feelings that unite people; centers around division of classes - represents status symbol that appeals to vanity
-- only seeking pleasure, unappreciative of its value; lower class know this value = art unites the soul
does it follow the innocent archetype?
-- honest opinion of art; regardless of how morals align - carroll: mass art being accessible = people can understand w/o prior knowledge = formalism's simplicity of being art's form & not content
why must we recognize this impact?
-- become self aware of impact leads to stopping racist thoughts
what are some contemporary examples that fit the romantic art?
shakespeare, surrealism, anything "artsy farsty", BPD: people are radically diff
what is linda nochlin's reason for objecting to the idea of artistic genius?
linda believes the artistic genius is easily attainable with someone that has all the resources, it only depends on the circumstances that one is in. taking on kant's conception of genius, it implied that genius is smth you're born with -- which nochlin argues with bc men have the socioeconomic advantage
does tolstoy reject NFTs?
-- do not serve purpose of art, very elitist, only a symbol of class
-- art is supposed to unite humans together; NFTs are made for upper class
-- do not create unity and intimacy between humans, does not convey author's experience to public - focus on classism
does it follow the caregiver archetype?
-- not cater; traits of service & support ≠ formalism; formalism = asks to view form nothing else
-- caregiver= create art to promote utilitarianism (singer and siqueiros); by asking art to have a call to action of helping others; art is not seen in formalism views
why do we need self perfectionist criticism?
-- consume critically by analyzing everything and it's intentions of media & viewer / am i good person if i enjoy this? what does it mean if i do?
-- questioning helps us resist racist attitudes forced upon us by media
-- if self awareness is practiced in media = practices in real life= change our perception
why does hegel believe we no longer live in an era in which art leads humanity? does this mean art has no function in modern times?
no longer in era where art serves us bc humanity is at point where art can no longer guide it -- philosophy helps us & leads the way
art is not of that importance for humanity; has a function but it's not that big
does anything that dutton says in making his case oppose nochlin's opposition?
he doesn't focus on the person creating the art bc he sees art as a performance that can be conducted by anyone, while nochlin agrees that genius doesn't exist bc it's easier for men to gain that title