Hello everyone, my name is Christina Cauley. With my major being anthropology, my attention was drawn to this class. My interests tend towards universal patterns of human behavior, which just added to the classes appeal. I deeply admire those who are able to infuse and direct the emotional response that is projected though their medium.
Art is a behavior, a practice, which infuses an object with a dimension other then which it natural contains. Through this it gains a symbolism outside the physical characteristics of the medium. Doing so requires additional exertion of energy; mental as the artist plans the desired effect, and physical as extra energy to add the necessary details.
Art is different from a craft because of mental connections it contains. Crafts are skill based while art is emotional. A craft can be used in creating art, and this along with out cultural expectations is generally what we perceive to be “good” art. Art is not defined by beauty though we often see art as beautiful. A craft can be beautiful just as an art can seem grotesque or alien. Nature also beautiful is but we do not consider snow an art, but when a person in such a manner as a photograph modifies it, shows it in a particular view, it can become art.
Art helps humans make sense of the world around them and express those attempts to others. To create art you cannot take your environment for granted, but postulate a view or mindset to go along with the creation, and the evoked reaction.
To call something art we must understand the metaphors and norms of the culture that it was created in, otherwise the emotion it is expressing can be overlooked. This is where the anthropological aspect of what is art is incorporated. The anthropology of art is the study of the human conditions that are part of creative expression. Creative expression is a universal trait, though the forms it takes is as numerous as the cultural mindsets that we use to perceive art. Through this class, hopefully we can become more aware of the cultural mindsets that lead to the creation/interpretations of art so we can see what is the same. Similarities across the world hold the answer to human nature and a deeper understanding of what we are capable of.
