Week_1_2__3_Notes.pdf

Week 1, 2 & 3 Notes Week 1: Basics of Weeks 1-3 What is Art? A historical we live in an image rich society Perspective High art & low art are both classist...

Week 1, 2 & 3 Notes Week 1: Basics of Weeks 1-3 What is Art? A historical we live in an image rich society Perspective High art & low art are both classist Torontonians see roughly 10,000 and outdated notions images per day on average High art is art for the upper class political action can be found in and through art paintings, sculpture, architecture, etc. The Theory of the Arts & it was believed that this type of Politics course art required knowledge & art can play a social function experience (which only rich calls for us to think about people had access to at the social issues & injustices time) to truly understand and engage with the art art can be embedded w/ ideologies Low art is art of the everyday people art can also advance or challenge ideologies anyone can understand and engage with it this type of art is thought to be easily understood and consumed Week 2: Marxist Thinkers on Art Moving away from Marxist Thinking Week 1, 2 & 3 Notes 1  art & other forms of cultural social art critics and historians now expression are influenced by class suggest that art reflects other & economic status social issues as much as economic realities art reflects social and economic realities ex. social issues like religion, politics, art is a tool for the powerful (rich imperialism/colonialism, people) sexuality, and gender issues ex. rich people often chose artists now overtly address often what was considered as art in overlook social issues through art museums & life. this is how most artists got their name they challenge these ideas and back in the day use their medium as a tool for activism The Definition of Art: Video Notes Positionality: there are many different definitions Marxist and social art critics & of art historians believe we need to position ourselves in the way we most definitions of art is lacking, or see and interpret art confines art in a inaccurate box personal backgrounds, economic when describing art, be broad and status, education, beliefs, open identities, ethnicities, etc., all the favourite definition of art from influence how we consume, the video is: interpret, & judge art “art is a means of exchange” Ideologies art allows us to see the artist’s perspectives of the a notion that includes a set of world, which leads to us beliefs on how people should think discovering things about of the world, including values & our own lives & world principles life is short, art is long Art’s Purpose to be expressive Activist Art Week 1, 2 & 3 Notes 2  The Art of Social Change to be representational (mimetic) a art project that touches on the Edel Rodriguez (1971-) importance of art & civic responsibility Cuban American artist works w/ communities, using a art director for Time Magazine art as a tool to inspire social creates politically-charged action & create change artworks in a minimalist style museums should be a sanctuary conveys a message for immigrants & the under represented Plato & Aristotle emphasizes how as considered the 1st great Western citizens/neighbours, the value philosophers of volunteering, caring, & being based their theories of art on the kind is just as important as idea that art is a species of money w/ the creation of the mimesis Natalie Bell Building Plato on The Value Aristotle on Art’s Role in our Belief System of Art: The Value of art plays an important role in the Art art as mimesis establishment & normalising of is too far art brings belief systems/ideologies amongst removed from us closer members of a society reality, which to truths & ex. can show society’s creates can members how they ‘should’ misconceptions improve us view the world and their role in & promotes morally it immoral conduct Timothy James Clark a British art historian, philosopher, Aristotle’s Beliefs & author art can teach us about human suggests that great modern art is nature necessarily critical of prevailing Week 1, 2 & 3 Notes 3  conventions & conditions in a art serves as a useful purpose for society artists & viewers “Ideologies… are constructs” art is a way for us to learn about humans & emotions Realism & Representation mimetic arts can represent 3 the oldest theory of art in the things: Western canon reality, past, present mimesis beliefs of the world suggests that visual art should look ideas of what ‘ought to be the what it’s intended to depict case Mimesis the Greek word for “imitation” all art is the imitation or representation of something The Allegory of the Cave question everything, because sometimes what we think is real is just an illusion or imitation of reality Plato’s Beliefs according to Plato, art is like a mirror image — a imitation of something else thought all perceptible phenomena was an imitation could be natural (mountains, trees, birds, rocks) or man- made (art, practical craft) was skeptical of art and its usefulness for learning Week 1, 2 & 3 Notes 4  art excites us, leads us away from true knowledge art is too far removed from the ideal realm to provide us with truth Week 3: Political Art A Change from Mimetic Art to not just a modern occurrence Expressionism in 1866, Gustav Courbet’s painting Expression & Expressivism of a woman’s genitalia triggered realism & representation in art questions of decency and didn’t make sense anymore due to censorship the creation of cameras & the painting was to pay photography homage to women for creating Expression Theory life through their wombs expressionism generally describes Leo Tolstoy’s Definition of Art artists who are inspired by art must come from genuine emotional experiences and use emotion, where the artist intends different mediums to create art that to communicate their feelings with embodies said emotions the audience expression offers answers to the artist must make the viewer questions such as: feel the emotions they felt the nature of art the viewer must also be why we make art made “better” by this why we enjoy looking at art experience believes the goal of art is to Cognitive Expressivism overcome the isolation of makes several claims, including: Week 1, 2 & 3 Notes 5  art is expressive individual consciousness by transmitting feelings through art art is a form of expression that we can learn from ex. “The Scream” painting by Munch art’s value includes its capacity to teach us something about ourselves & others art is an exploratory & collaborative process, resulting in knowledge & understanding Week 1, 2 & 3 Notes 6