Art and Aesthetics Overview

Study Notes

Art is derived from the Latin word "ars" meaning skill and the Greek word "techne" meaning technology.
Art involves proficiency and perfection, aiming for order and delighting the senses.
It encompasses both the skill and the output.
Art is a deliberate act, a way of doing things with a profound sense of beauty.
While accidents may occur during the creative process, the intention to create is always deliberate.
The concept of art is linked to the creation of humans, as God created humankind "ex nihilo" – out of nothing.
Beauty is directly connected to delight.

Aesthetics originates from the Greek word "aisthanomai" meaning perception.
It was coined by Alexander Baumgarten in the early 18th century.
Aesthetics is a field of knowledge gained through sensory experience combined with feelings.
It is a branch of philosophy concerned with understanding beauty in art.
Aesthetics define sets of principles and characteristics that determine what is considered beautiful in a specific time and place.
It involves more than logic or cognition, incorporating feelings and a sense of pleasure.
Aesthetics are empirical, meaning they require personal experience.

"The Scream" by Edvard Munch exemplifies art’s expressive and communicative nature.
The painting has inspired homages in cinema and popular culture, highlighting its genius and talent.
Munch's painting considers the milieu or the political climate, time, and location.
The Scream creates a two-dimensional illusion of depth and distance.
- The background represents distant space, exemplified by the uneasy sky.
- The middle ground occupies the space between the background and foreground, represented by the water and figures.
- The foreground is closest to the viewer, represented by the bold humanoid figure.
Art can both express and communicate.
- Expressing is one-way, while communicating is two-way.
The concept of a Koan, a Zen riddle, illustrates that art's impact depends on acknowledgment.
The Scream symbolizes a lack of acknowledgment as the figure screams, but others ignore it.
When analyzing art, we first focus on the literal level before moving to the figurative level of interpretation.

The squiggly lines in the painting create a sense of unease.
The rough texture adds to the unsettling feeling.
The intense colors, particularly red and yellow, evoke a sense of alertness rather than relaxation.
The Scream captures emotional chaos through its representation of life, mind, and consciousness.
The squiggly lines represent sound, suggesting the noise traveling without reaching the figures.
The painting includes hidden ears, adding another layer of interpretation.

Spoliarium, a painting by Juan Luna, is an allegory, meaning it represents something beyond its literal depiction.
It depicts a chamber where dead gladiators are dumped, symbolizing the basement of a coliseum.
The man depicted, with a clenched fist, represents anger and alludes to the revolution.
The weeping woman, in a contrasting green color, represents life.
The painting, created in 1884, serves as a prelude to the revolution.
The women in the painting represent hope for the future.
The lack of respect for human dignity is emphasized.