The Philosophy of Art

The Origin of "Art"

• "Art" originates from the Aryan root "Ar," meaning "to join" or "put together."
• The root "Ar" gave rise to Greek verbs "Artizein" (to prepare) and "Arkiskein" (to put together).
• Latin terms "Ars" and "Artis" signify anything man-made or composed.

Evolution of the Word "Art"

• Before the Renaissance, "art" referred to craftsmanship.
• In modern times, "art" is primarily associated with fine arts.

Philosophical Definition of Art

• Aristotle defined art as "the right reason for making things."
• Art involves human activity directed towards transforming or changing based on principles.
• Modern art is defined as a formal expression of a human experience, emphasizing form and substance.

Distinguishing Art from Nature

• Art is man-made, in contrast to nature.
• Nature serves as the foundation for art by supplying subject matter and materials.

The Relationship Between Art and Life

• Art imitates life, according to Aristotle.
• Despite imitating life, art remains a product of human creativity.

Spatial Arts

• A concept that encompasses forms of art, whose works exist within space, remain static in time, and are visually perceived.

Plastic Arts

• Arts that involve physically manipulating a material medium, with the medium's composition heavily influencing the work's structure.
• Divided into representational and nonrepresentational categories.

Representational Plastic Arts

• Includes painting, sculpture, graphics, and photography.
• These arts reproduce visually perceived reality with varying degrees of accuracy.
• Sculpture is three-dimensional, while painting, graphics, and photography are two-dimensional.

Nonrepresentational Plastic Arts

• Include architecture, decorative applied art, and artistic design.
• They don't necessarily rely on real-world models for their visual-spatial forms.

Blurred Boundaries

• The distinction between representational and nonrepresentational arts isn't absolute.
• Decorative applied art often uses figurative motifs, while some nonrepresentational works can also be considered representational (e.g., figurative vessels in sculpture).
• Architecture, although nonrepresentational, sometimes incorporates forms from nature (e.g., ancient Egypt).

Temporal Element

• Plastic arts differ from other art forms due to their lack of temporal development.
• Forms are static, unlike music, which unfolds in time.

Visual and Tactile Perception

• Plastic arts are primarily appreciated through sight, with sculpture and decorative applied art allowing for tactile interaction.
• Understanding and appreciating architectural images and some monumental paintings and sculptures requires motor perception, which takes time, but the work itself remains unchanged.

Fusion with Other Arts

• Artists specializing in plastic arts often contribute to other, more synthetic art forms.
• Painters, architects, and sculptors participate in theatre, film, and festival decor.
• Attempts have been made to merge painting and music (e.g., Scriabin's "color music").

Integration of Language

• Language plays a significant role in plastic arts, particularly in specific periods and art forms.
• Text is integral to posters, caricatures, and cheap popular prints.
• Words complement the image in Greek vase painting, medieval icons and miniatures.
• In architecture, inscriptions (e.g., Roman triumphal arches) and even entire texts (ancient Egyptian temples, medieval mosques) serve as visual elements.
• Titles of pictures and sculptures often relate to their content.

Structure of Plastic Images

• Visual-plastic means form the basis of images in plastic arts: composition, elements of form (space, volume, movement, rhythm, line, chiaroscuro, color), and technique.

Analytical Structure of Artistic Image

• Can be broken down into three interconnected aspects:
  • Tectonic-compositional: Involves organizing the medium in space (three-dimensional in architecture, sculpture, etc., and two-dimensionally in painting, graphics), establishing structure and tectonics, arranging elements harmoniously or inharmoniously, and achieving compositional unity.
  • Expressive: Achieved through visual-formal elements that evoke certain emotions and moods.
  • Representational: Refers to the depiction of reality, whether with accuracy or symbolically.

Conclusion

• The unity of tectonic-compositional, expressive, and representational aspects reveals the ideological and artistic meaning of a plastic artwork.