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mimesis
The representation of aspects of the real world, especially human actions, in literature and art.
EXAMPLES
Most people would not have considered the depiction of a Brillo Box or a store-bought urinal to be
art until Andy Warhol and Marcel Duchamp, respectively, placed those objects in the context of
art (i.e., an art gallery), which then associated these objects with a way that art could be defined.
FIGURES
1.
fig. 2
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol reconceptualized the meaning of art when he exhibited a Brillo Box in an art gallery. Warhol
demonstrated that what is often considered art is simply that which is exhibited in art galleries.
What is art?
How best to define art is still regularly debated. Many books and journal articles have argued over even
the basics of what we mean by calling something art. Theodor Adorno claimed, in 1969: It is self-evident
that nothing concerning art is self-evident. Artists, philosophers, anthropologists, psychologists, and
programmers all use the notion of art in their respective fields, yet give it considerably different
operational definitions. Furthermore, it is clear that even the basic meaning of the term "art" has changed
several times over the centuries, and is continuing to evolve during the 20th century as well. Most people
would not have considered the depiction of a Brillo Box or a store-bought urinal to be art until Andy
Warhol (Figure 1) and Marcel Duchamp, respectively, placed those objects in the context of art (i.e., an art
gallery), which then associated these objects with a way that art could be defined.
Art can refer to anything made by someone considered an artist, yet the definition of an artist has evolved
over time and varies based on context. In Ancient Greece, the term for art was techne, though that word
did not denote art in the modern sense and was instead applied to human activities, especially handicrafts
and technical work. The most esteemed ancient art forms were music and poetry, and those were
regarded as divinely inspired. Eventually, the idea of art expanded in scope to include literature, visual
art, performing art, and decorative art. But what exactly does art mean?
"Imagine you are an art critic whose mission is to compare the meanings you find in a wide range of
individual artworks. How would you proceed with your task? One way to begin is to examine the
materials each artist selected in making an object, image video, or event. The decision to cast a
sculpture in bronze, for instance, inevitably effects its meaning; the work becomes something
different from how it might be if it had been cast in gold or plastic or chocolate, even if everything
else about the artwork remains the same. Next, you might examine how the materials in each
artwork have become an arrangement of shapes, colors, textures, and lines. These, in turn, are
organized into various patterns and compositional structures. In your interpretation, you would
comment on how salient features of the form contribute to the overall meaning of the finished
artwork. ...the meaning of most artworks... is not exhausted by a discussion of materials, techniques,
and form. Most interpretations also include a discussion of the ideas and feelings the artwork
engenders." (Robertson & McDaniel, 2005.)
Art, at its simplest, is a form of communication. It means whatever it is intended to mean by the artist
herself, and this meaning is shaped by the materials, techniques, and forms of the art, as well as the ideas
and feelings it creates. Art can also simply refer to the developed and efficient use of a language to convey
meaning with immediacy and or depth. Art is an act of expressing feelings, thoughts, and
observations. There is an understanding that is reached with the material as a result of handling it, which
facilitates one's thought processes.
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How Does Art Look?
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What Makes Art Beautiful?
KEY TERM GLOSSARY
bronze
A natural or man-made alloy of copper, usually of tin, but also with one or more other metals.
Ife
Shang Dynasty
Bronze Sculpture
culture
The beliefs, values, behaviour and material objects that constitute a people's way of life.
Liangzhu
Urbino
form
In art, the shape or visible structure of an artistic expression.
Tax-Supported Art
Mende
Baule
line
a path through two or more points
Qualities of Line
Contour Line
Varieties of Line
medium
a material used by an artist or designer to create a work
Categorizing Art
Gouache
Watercolor
mimesis
The representation of aspects of the real world, especially human actions, in literature and art.
Sculpture in Rome
Sculpture
texture
The feel or shape of a surface or substance; the smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. of something.
Varieties of Line
SOURCES
Boundless curates and validates high quality, openly licensed content from around the Internet.
This particular unit used the following sources:
"Andy Warhol by Jack Mitchell."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Andy_Warhol_by_Jack_Mitchell.jpg Wikipedia CC BY-SA.
"Art."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0.
"What Is Art?."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Is_Art%253F Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0.
"Applied arts."
Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Concise Global History by Fred S. Kleiner