Week 1 What is a Art for a Sociologist.docx

Sociology and Art – Connection Sociology with Art Art as research material Doing sociology by analyzing pieces of art or cultural objects Sociology through Art Art as methodology Doing sociology by using art as creative experimental method Sociology about Art Art as a field of research Do...

Sociology and Art – Connection Sociology with Art Art as research material Doing sociology by analyzing pieces of art or cultural objects Sociology through Art Art as methodology Doing sociology by using art as creative experimental method Sociology about Art Art as a field of research Doing sociology by researching social processes around art Sociology of Art Focus on how industries work Call attention to social context Look into social relations Goes beyond individual cases By focusing on the creation, circulation and use of art, sociology of art becomes about art in the sense that it outlines the social processes around art, rather than focusing on characteristics of art itself Sociologists Have a ‘value free’ approach Analyze the aesthetic judgements made by others Can address failure and poor work, as well as iconic cases (Rarely) analyze aesthetic content Art is a part of society and thus socially produced Ways to define art sociologically Institutional Definition Something is an artwork when it is placed in an art world context and when it is recognized as such by someone with authority Something is art when displayed as such by legitimating institutional body Art works can only be defined based upon the context in which they are presented: an artworld Focus on the conventions and practices of the art world, as well as the historical tradition in which conventions and practices stand Functional Definition Art is an arrangement of conditions intended to be capable of affording an experience with marked aesthetic character Emphasizes the beneficial/positive outcomes of aesthetic experiences that is unique to art Defining art based on the kind of experiences the arts afford and the specific function this experience has for audiences and society An artwork affords the audience an aesthetic experience The art work does not need to succeed in delivering this aesthetic experience to be classified as an artwork, when it is created with the intention to do so, this suffices to call it art The aesthetic experience can be identified as it gives a rise to a number of positive effects (consuming art makes you a better person) The internal aesthetic experiences: ‘Intrinsic’ values of the arts The wider effects of the arts: ‘Instrumental’ values of the arts The two definitions complement each other because the intention to provide aesthetic experiences may be inferred from the fact that a piece is presented in an art setting