Answer To: 2 Mini essays XXXXXXXXXXwords, each essay). Proper APA format, with citations. Essay #1: Question 1:...
David answered on Dec 22 2021
What is Art?
Primarily a work of art is a composition or creation which possesses aesthetical value. An
object to be termed as a work of art must pivotally be subjective and should mean something
different to every single person who views it (Esaak, n.d.). In this respect the meaning of Arthur
Danto’s theory of art should be analyzed and discussed. Arthur’s Danto’s theory of art can be
termed as an institutional theory which denotes art as “artworld” which has been interpreted by
Danto as “an atmosphere of art theory”” (Adajian, 2012). As per my understanding Danto
defined a work of art to be something which has a subject projecting some specific attitudes or
perspectives in respect of style by means of symbolic contraction, and such symbolism draw the
attraction of audiences and enforces them to participate in filling the void within the concerned
creation, and moreover, the concerned something, to be termed as a work of art, should require
an art historical context for its interpretation (Adajian, 2012).
In respect of the definition of art the point of view of Plato must be mentioned as it is his
definition which has been contradicted by Danto. According to Plato any work of art is a nemesis
or a mirror. For Plato a work of art must be a representation of reality. But Danto has attacked
this theory of Plato and has criticized the theory, which he calls “Imitation Theory” or “IT”, by
stating that if Plato’s definition is to be admitted and accepted as the right definition of art then
any mirror image can also be called an artwork, but as a mirror image cannot be called an artistic
creation, Plato’s theory, according to Danto, is fallacious (“Arthur Danto, “The Artworld”, ABQ
Chapter 3, pp. 33-44”, n.d.). Danto has opined that an artwork must have a distinct identity and
this is the “IS” of artistic identification, “a method which one can use to tell the difference
between a real object and a piece of artwork” (Patterson, 2011). And it is through this concept of
“IS” that Danto has tried to refute the theory of nemesis conveyed by Plato.
Though there can be myriads of definition of art, in my view, art is both subjective and
objective. It is subjective because an artwork is a means by which the artist’s interpretation of a
particular subject can be revealed, an artist’s mood, feeling, dream, passion, and vision can be
revealed, and it is objective because an artwork sometimes tend to go beyond the creator and can
be seen, felt, heard, and dreamt by anyone who views it or comes in contact with it (“Objective
Art vs. Subjective Art”, 2006). If art would have only been subjective then each and every good
piece of art would have been appreciated in the same manner and...