Art Criticism

 

Before we get into our regular lessons this semester, I want to spend some time talking about art. Have you ever tried to define the term art? Or, have you ever thought about how you determine what art is or isn't? Most of us just go by whether or not we like it.

 

Although today the word art usually refers to the visual arts, the concept of what art is has continuously changed over the centuries. The word "art" comes from the Latin "ars" which loosely translated, means "arrangement" or "to arrange".

 

Perhaps the most concise definition is its broadest – art refers to all creative human endeavors, excluding actions directly related to survival and reproduction. From a wide perspective, art is simply a generic term for any product of the creative impulse out of which sprang all other human pursuits – such as science via alchemy, and religion via shamanism.

 

Let's break it down a bit. First what is the function of the piece of art? In other words, what is its purpose? Well, art can be for enjoyment like paintings for your walls, going to an evening concert or merely listening to your iPod while you workout.

 

Art can be used to promote political or social commentary such as the Ancient Greek and Roman playwrights who used their plays to make political statements about their incompetent or corrupt officials.

 

Art can be therapeutic in that it is used in role playing or in counseling. It can function as an artifact. What do I mean by an artifact? Well, that means that it is a product that represents the ideas and technology of a specific time and place. In this class we will be looking at past artifacts and wondering how in the world with the technology they had did they make it? What we will find is that by understanding a time, place and culture that a piece of art was created in will provide insight into both that piece of art as well as that culture.

 

return to top | next page