Aesthetics Part 1 The Andy Warhol Museum Carnegie Museum of Art FOR EDUCATION USE ONLY ©2008 The Andy Warhol Museum, a museum of Carnegie Institute. All rights reserved. You may view and download the materials posted in this site for personal, informational, educational, and non-commercial use only. The contents of this site may not be reproduced in any form beyond its original intent without the permission of The Andy Warhol Museum. Except where noted, ownership of all material is The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.

Objectives: Develop and use a common language for aesthetics. Increase knowledge of aesthetics in meaning and in application. Analyze an artists motivation for making aesthetic choices. Improve listening and reasoning skills through group dialogue.

Vocabulary Check Intuition 1.a. The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes: immediate cognition. b. Knowledge gained by the use of this faculty; a perceptive insight. 2. A sense of something not evident or deducible; an impression.

Perception The word, perception, comes from the Latin word: Capere - to take Per (the prefix) - completely 1.The process, act, or faculty of perceiving: OBSERVATION 2.The effect or product of perceiving: CONCEPT 3. Psychol. a. Recognition and interpretation of sensory stimuli based chiefly on memory. In psychology and the cognitive sciences, perception is the process of acquiring, interpreting, selecting, and organizing sensory information.

3 Definitions for Aesthetics: 1. a particular taste for, or approach to, what is pleasing to the senses--especially sight; 2. a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of art and beauty; 3. a particular theory or conception of beauty or art.

Definition one: Aesthetics Function: noun 1. a particular taste for or approach to what is pleasing to the senses-- especially sight.

Aesthetics in this definition is something that appeals to the senses. Someones aesthetic has to do with his or her perceptual or artistic judgment. It comes from the root word: Aesthesia: the ability to feel or perceive; being awake and able to feel senses. The opposite is: Anesthesia: the inability to feel or perceive; to be asleep or non-feeling.

We make informal aesthetic choices every day. From what we wear...

to the things we buy: books, music, and objects for our homes.

Public figures make aesthetic choices to convey something about who they are. Andy Warhol wore various silver wigs throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s to change his personal appearance--to create a signature look. Who does this in todays popular culture? Andy Warhol, Self-Portrait (Fright Wig), 1986, Polaroid Polacolor ER, 4 1/4 x 3 3/8 in. (10.8 x 8.6 cm.). ©AWF

The aesthetic choices we make influence many parts of our lives. We all have a personal aesthetic (preferences and tastes based on what we see).

How would you describe the aesthetic quality of your classroom at school?

How would you describe the aesthetic quality of your bedroom?

What aesthetic qualities do you perceive in this photograph of Andy Warhol in his Silver Factory? Andy Warhol at the Silver Factory with Cow wallpaper and Silver Clouds, , Photo ©Stephen Shore

Warhol used some of the aesthetic qualities of his environment in his artwork. What are the similarities between this portrait and the photograph in the previous slide? Andy Warhol Silver Liz Studio Type (1963). ©AWF

Aesthetics Part 2

Definition Two: Aesthetics Function: noun 2. A branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of art and beauty.

The philosophy of aesthetics asks and tries to answer the Big Questions: What is art? What makes a piece of art beautiful? How important are personal tastes when judging the quality of art? What are the standards for judging art? Why is originality so important in art? How do we define what is original or what is creative?

Do artworks have to be beautiful or pretty? The Nature of Beauty Andy Warhol, Electric Chair, 1971, Published Edition, 137/250 screen print on paper, 35 1/2 x 48 in. ©AWF

What makes a work of art original or creative? If Warhol worked from other peoples photographs, is his work really original? … Why does he get to copy, but I cant? Original source material, Flowers series by Andy Warhol, 1964, Two-sided collage; adapted from Modern Photography magazine, June 1964, photographic spread of color transparencies by Patricia Caulfield. ©AWF Andy Warhol, Flowers, 1970, Published Edition, screen print on paper, 36 x 36 in. ©AWF

How does an artists choice of materials and techniques effect the aesthetic quality of an artwork? Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn Self-Portrait with Raised Sabre, 1634, etching with touches of burin, 4 7/8 x 4 1/16 in. (12 x 10 cm) Carnegie Museum of Art Andy Warhol, Self-Portrait, 1986, acrylic and silkscreen ink on linen, 80 x 76 in. ©AWF

Who decides what is art? Who decides what makes an artwork special, valuable, or good? Andy Warhol, Brillo Soap Pads Box, 1964, silkscreen ink and house paint on plywood, 17 x 17 x 14 in. ©AWF

Aesthetics Part 3 The Andy Warhol Museum Carnegie Museum of Art FOR EDUCATION USE ONLY © 2008 The Andy Warhol Museum, a museum of Carnegie Institute. All rights reserved. You may view and download the materials posted in this site for personal, informational, educational, and non-commercial use only. The contents of this site may not be reproduced in any form beyond its original intent without the permission of The Andy Warhol Museum. Except where noted, ownership of all material is The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.

Definition three Aesthetics Function: noun 3. A particular theory or conception of beauty or art.

Aesthetic theories provide different answers to these questions: What makes something a work of art? What do we learn from it? What value does this work have?

Aesthetic Theories: 1. Representation (imitation, realism, mimesis) 2. Expressionism (emotionalism) 3. Formalism 4. Communication of moral and religious ideas 5. Symbolic (non-verbal) communication 6. Instrumentalism 7. Institutionalism Material adapted from Julie Van Camp, Professor of Philosophy, California State University, Long Beach, presentation Teaching Aesthetics. This is a basic selection of theories. There are many more to research and explore.

Representation (imitation, realism, mimesis): The essence of art is to picture or portray reality. Good art mirrors the world, imitating nature or some ideal form. Martin Johnson Heade, Thunderstorm at the Shore, c , oil on paper mounted on canvas attached to panel 15 3/4 x 23 3/4 in. Carnegie Museum of Art, Howard N. Eavenson Memorial Fund

Expressionism (emotionalism): The essence of art is expression of the inner emotions, feelings, moods, and mental states of the artist. Good art effectively and sincerely brings these inner states to an external objectification. Willem de Kooning, Woman VI, 1953 Oil on canvas

Formalism: The essence of art is significant form - lines, shapes, colors, and other formal properties of the work; representation, expression, and other subject matter are irrelevant. Good art uses formal elements to trigger an aesthetic emotion in sensitive observers. Donald Judd, Untitled, 1974, Stainless steel and Plexiglas 8 x 194 1/2 x 14 in. Carnegie Museum of Art, Purchase: gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Denby, by exchange

Communication of moral and religious ideas: The essence of art is the communication of important moral and religious values from the artist to the observer. Good art is a form of sincere communication by the artist that infects the observers with those important moral ideas. Simon Bening, St. Gertrude de Nivelles, from the Hours of Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg ( ), Archbishop and Elector of Mainz c , opaque water-based paint mounted on board 7 x 5 in. Carnegie Museum of Art, Bequest of Howard A. Noble

Symbolic (non-verbal) communication: The essence of art is the communication of important ideas and other knowledge through symbolic (non-verbal) languages. Good art communicates its meaning effectively through this non-verbal language. Jacob Ochtervelt, Lady with Servant and Dog, c , oil on canvas, 27 1/8 x 22 7/8 in. Carnegie Museum of Art, Henry Lee Mason Memorial Fund

Instrumentalism: The essence of art is its usefulness in helping us to comprehend and improve our overall life experiences. Good art is always a means to some important end. Romare Bearden, Pittsburgh Memories, 1984, collage on board, 28 5/8 x 23 1/2 in. Carnegie Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald R. Davenport and Mr. and Mrs. Milton A. Washington

Institutionalism: Andy Warhol, Brillo Soap Pads Box, 1964, silkscreen ink and house paint on plywood, 17 x 17 x 14 in. ©AWF Art is determined by status conferred upon it by the institutions of the art world not by an observable property in the artwork itself. Barry Le Va, On Corner - On Edge - On Center Shatter (Within the Series of Layered Pattern Acts), , twenty sheets of glass 59 x 79 in. ( 91 x 150 x 201 cm) Carnegie Mellon Art Gallery Fund

Review 3 definitions for aesthetics: 1. a particular taste for, or approach to, what is pleasing to the senses--especially sight; 2. a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of art and beauty; 3. a particular theory or conception of beauty or art.