Describe what you see:
Aesthetics A branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty.
Possible Careers for the Aesthetician: Museum Director Curator Director of Education at an art museum Gallery Owner Art Critic Journalist/Author Red Grooms Jackson in Action Aesthetician Believes that the study of the nature and value of art guides us toward intelligent opinions about art.
Five Philosophies of Aesthetics Representationalism (AKA: Imitationalism, Mimisis) Formalism Expressionism (AKA: Emotionalism) Instrumentalism Institutionalism
Representationalism Focuses on portraying things as they really appear. Gustave Coubet, John Singer Sargent, J.A.M. Whistler Richard Estes 34 th Street, Manhattan, Looking East
Johannes Vermeer Girl Reading a Letter by an Open Window Janet Fish
Isabel Bishop, Strap Hangers, 1940
Duane Hanson Young Shopper 1973
Representational vs. Non-Representational Art Leon Dolice, Third Avenue Franz Kline, New York, New York
Expressionism The essence of art is expression of the inner emotions, feelings, moods, and mental states of the artist. This art stirs up feelings, communicates a general mood or elicits emotional responses from the viewer. Edvard Munch, Egon Schiele, Otto Dix, Vincent VanGogh, James Ensor, Marc Chagall
Kathe Kollwitz, The Volunteers 1920
Egon Schiele Self Portrait with Grimace
Formalism Places an emphasis on the elements and principles in a work of art. 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. Paul Cezanne, Piet Mondrian Louise Nevelson Royal Tide 1960
Piet Mondrian Composition with Red, Blue, Yellow Elizabeth Murray Sun and Moon
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain
Instrumentalism Requires art to move people to act for the betterment of society. Art should serve as an “instrument” for furthering a point of view that might be moral, social, or political. The essence of art is its usefulness in helping us to comprehend and improve our overall life experiences.
Banksy Have a Nice Day
Barbara Kreuger We Don’t Need Another Hero 1987
Institutionalism Focuses on artwork that can only be identified as art because it has been placed in a museum or gallery. Marcel Duchamp Fountain 1917
Eva Hesse, Untitled (Rope Piece), 1970
What is beauty?