The Philosophy of Art is a blog about the importance of fine art. Fine art is not just decoration. It is part of the human spirit, a way to show our feelings, emotions, and desires.
Art has been around since early man made the first cave paintings. Even today art is still used in many different ways in our everyday lives. It’s not just paintings that are considered fine art but also music and photography. All these things are considered fine art and have been for centuries.
Art is important because it helps us express ourselves. We can use it to depict our emotions and show what we’re going through at that moment or even to show history. We can use it to help people understand what we’re feeling by showing them visually what it is we see when we look at something or listen to music or hear someone speak.
Art makes us feel better when we view work of art because it shows us how others feel as well as how we feel as well. It’s kind of like a conversation with someone without words but with color, lines, shapes and moods instead.
A few weeks ago, we started a series of essays on the philosophy of art. We said we would be discussing things like:
What is art?
What makes a work of art good or bad?
How do we judge the aesthetic value of a work of art?
What is the purpose of works of art?
What role does art play in human life?
We have now published three essays, and you can find them here: http://www.jacksonartblog.com/philosophy-of-art-essays/ . We hope you will enjoy reading them as much as we enjoyed writing them.
Toward the end, I’ll be getting into some more specific topics like “what is the nature of beauty” and “what is the purpose of visual art.” But before I get to those, I want to lay out some theoretical ground rules for investigation. That way we are all working from the same map as we go along. It’s kind of like learning how to drive in a city before you actually get behind the wheel.
You’ll notice that my approach is rather pragmatic: I don’t tend to deal in abstractions such as “beauty” or “art” but instead focus on real things people make and
If you’re an artist, then there’s a good chance that you have a strong opinion about art. You may even be called an “artist” because of it. But what does that mean? Why do you think that art is important?
Art is certainly important in and of itself, but why do we insist on calling it “art?” What is the philosophy behind this label?
Art can be used to mean any number of things. It can be used to describe anything from a painting to a poem to a song. It can also be used to describe something as simple as the act of making something beautiful.
And yet all these definitions still seem inadequate. They don’t quite get to what we’re trying to express when we call something art.
The purpose of this blog is to explore some of the many definitions of art and see how they work in practice.
Why is Art Important?
Art is a uniquely human endeavor. It is a vehicle to express ourselves as humans, to understand our fellow humans, and to grow as individuals.
Art encompasses all of the emotional, physical, mental and spiritual energies we possess. When we create art with these energies, we develop them further in ourselves – and through that, in our world.
Art teaches us about ourselves and others. It helps us understand our place in the world and others’ places in it. It gives us the tools to communicate who we are and what we feel.
Art can be used to tell stories or convey information. But it can also be used to explore feelings and create images that can only exist in that moment of creation; art is not required to communicate a specific idea or thought, but rather an emotion or feeling.
Art helps us make sense of the world around us; it allows us to process events from our past as well as events from current times through the lens of our own personal experiences and emotions. Through this processing we are able to gain insight into our humanity – both individually and collectively – which leads us toward understanding others as well as searching for meaning in our own lives.
Art is important because it makes us human.”
Art is important for many reasons. Let’s start with the reasons some people might be inclined to dismiss it.
Those who love science sometimes point out that art is often not very truthful or important. Artists paint things that never existed and never will exist, and sometimes they even make up their own facts. Shakespeare’s plays are full of events that never occurred, such as ghosts coming back from the dead, witches turning themselves into animals, and people breaking into song on a whim. As a professional chemist, I might be inclined to agree with them; I spend my days studying things that are real rather than imaginary.
Telling the truth clearly is important in art, but so is telling it vividly. An artist’s job is to take you inside people’s heads and hearts, to give you insight into what they’re thinking and feeling, to help you understand them and their situation better than before. Facts are part of that understanding; if characters in a play break into song without rhyme or reason there will always be an important reason we can’t see. But facts alone aren’t enough; if all you have are facts you get a textbook, not a play. Art is about bringing us into contact with the human experience. The human experience includes thoughts and feelings that scientists study
Art has the power to inspire, to teach, and most importantly, to change lives.
Art is a way of expressing creativity. Through art, people can explore the human condition, capture beauty, express emotions, and make their innermost feelings tangible.
Art can also have a profound effect on those who are exposed to it. Some people are inspired by art to pursue a new career or develop a lifelong passion for art. Others find an outlet for their own creative expression in the course of experiencing artwork created by others. And many simply find themselves with a more complete appreciation of life after encountering something beautiful.
Art is one of the few things that we can experience that helps us grow as individuals and develop a deeper understanding of our fellow man. Through exposure to great art, we learn how similar we all really are, regardless of nationality, race, creed or gender.
