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.
Hi Christina!
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of what you are saying. I especially like the part where you make the distinction between craft and art where craft can be beautiful and art can be grotesque. I actually said something similar in my post: art can be ugly, and not all pretty things are art. I also agree with your comment about craft being an important element of what we consider art. Does art always come from skill? You always hear people making cracks at Jackson Pollock paintings or Kandinsky's works, saying "My third grader could do that." What would you say to them in terms of the relation between skill and what you are defining as art?
I actually totally agree with you that art helps people make sense of the world around them. I think that art is usually born out of some kind of internal or external chaos. This makes sense since the world was created out of chaos (whether you believe in Creation or Chaos Theory) and perhaps the ultimate art, human life itself, was born out of this into the delicately balanced harmony of existence. Somehow humans have always understood this and maybe that is why we create art: to help ourselves understand on a deeper level. Robert Layton in his book, Anthropology of Art, describes an anthropologist who also agrees. He says, "Horton sees social life as the source of the models small-scale communities frequently employ in order to conceptualize the nature of the less-readily grasped forces they experience" (Layton, 37). This is why humans use symbols (I think he is including art here) to think and communicate.
In response to your question "Does art always come from skill?" I would say no it does not. While what we call "good" art certainly does; art itself does not require skill to create it requires heart. The attempted expression is the artful nature of a piece. By this art is an inherited trait of humanity, craft is the part that is learned.
ReplyDeleteMy you seem well read! I look forward to hearing your comments in class.