Art as Representation

In different times and in different places and in different context Art critiques, thinkers have made efforts to understand the underlying essence of a piece of Art.

Most were limited to their own times and philosophy of the world and human persons.

Fortkochi, Kerala

They were at finding ‘necessary conditions’ and ‘sufficient conditions’
for the truth of the statement that an item is an ‘art work’.

We go back to the first of such an attempt.

It was the Greeks who first said, Art is Imitation of nature.

And they broadened it saying, Art is Representation.

Study the PDF below.

(to be used for educational purposes only)

Art as Representation PDF

Most art we do and we encounter on a day today basis are all imitation of nature. Those who are able to do it best are the best artists.

What makes them to be candidates for Art is the attribute of Verisimilitude they posses. More similar they are better they are appreciated.

Nothing is an artwork, unless it is an imitation.

For Plato and Aristotle, to be an artwork requires that the piece in question be an imitation of something. That is, being an imitation—of a person, place, object, action or event.

So plato emphasised that Art is Imitation, Mirroring nature, copying nature.

Plato went a step ahead and claimed that as is also

1. useless

2. deceptive

3. potentially dangerous

1. Art is useless because art unlike philosophy does not produce any new knowledge. Art is the reflection of the reflection of reality (world of ideas).

2. Art is deceptive because, Artists were unconcerned with facts/truth (as against philosophers). It made no difference to artists nor to the success of their works whether the images or stories they depict were real or their messages true or good.

3. Art is dangerous because, art feeds the senses/appetite and that begins to control the mind and spirit. Instead for plato the mind and spirit must control the appetitive.

Aristotle enters the discourse.

Aristotle agreed that art was essentially Mimesis.

But, he maintained, (good) art was neither useless and deceptive nor dangerous, but rather natural and beneficial.

Aristotle Rejected that Mimesis is mere Mirroring of Nature

Art is the outcome of a mental process

1. Rendering (perception of a thing by senses)

2. Construing (the artist interprets what he/she sees)

3. Draw / Illustrate / imaging (translates what is seen to lines and colours and words etc.)

4. Idealising (he makes it look complete, interesting and new)

5. Representing (then its represented to the viewers)

Unlike mirroring, these are acts of intellect.

Therefore good art puts forward ideal truths. (what something aught to be)

Aristotle also claimed that art is not dangerous but cathartic and therapeutic

Aristotle offers a broader theory of Art:

Art as Representation

Aristotle reconstructed Imitation theory to Representation theory

Representation happens by

1. Resemblance

2. Illusion

But Problem still surfaced. Even with this additional breadth, the representational theory of art remains not sufficient, since much of what is called art is not representational.

How do we add these too to the ambit of art?

This problem gave rise to an advanced representation theory, called

The neo-representational theory of art. According to the neo-representational theory of art,

anything that is a work of art necessarily possesses the property of ‘aboutness’

It must have semantic (meaning) content.

It has a subject about which it expresses something.

We can take the case of Duchamp's ready-mades.

Duchamp’s ready-mades (urinal, snow shovel etc.) demand interpretations. It makes sense to ask what they are about.

On the other hand, it does not make sense to ask what ordinary urinals and snow shovels are about. Ordinary urinals and snow shovels are not about anything;

They have no semantic (meaning) content; they are mute—meaningless. They also do not imitate or represent anything else.

Comments

Visual Analysis: SEMIOTICS

Visual analysis is a systematic and scientific approach to examining visual materials that goes far beyond casual observation. In our visually saturated world, images have become a inescapable universal language that shapes our perceptions, attitudes, and experiences. From the artworks adorning gallery walls to the advertisements lining city streets, visuals communicate narratives, evoke emotions, and reflect sociocultural ideologies. However, the process of seeing and interpreting visuals is not as spontaneous or natural as we often assume. As John Berger notably stated, "seeing is an active decision," suggesting that the process of interpreting visuals is neither spontaneous nor natural, but rather requires conscious effort and critical thinking. The way we perceive and interpret visual content is heavily influenced by habits, conventions, and our individual perspectives. Serious visual analyses requires conscious effort and critical analysis to unravel the laye...

Sigmund Freud on Creative Writing and Day-Dreaming

Freud in his essay, Creative Writers and Day-Dreaming, explores the psychological origins of artistic creativity and the impact of literature on readers. He draws parallels between the imaginative activity of creative writers and the day-dreaming of ordinary people. It is a discussion about the relationship between creative art and unconscious phantasy. In it, Freud talks about the role of daydreaming and fantasy in human behaviour, and how creative writers are able to express their daydreams without shame or self-reproach. Read the essay below (for academic use only) Creative Writers and Day Dreaming PDF Freud argues that the child's play and the adult's phantasies/daydreams share a common element—the desire to alter an unsatisfactory reality and fulfil unfulfilled wishes. The creative writer is like a successful daydreamer who is able to transform their private fantasies into works that provide pleasure to the audience. Freud suggests that the writer's choice of subject...

Sound Recording for Films: A Crucial Element of Cinematic Storytelling

Sound recording is a fundamental aspect of filmmaking that significantly contributes to the overall cinematic experience. It is the process of capturing and recording audio elements that complement the on-screen visuals. These audio elements form the foundation for creating an immersive auditory experience that enhances the film's storytelling and emotional impact. Study the PDF below (for academic use only) Sound Recording for Films PDF The components of a film's soundscape are diverse and multifaceted. They include dialogues , which are the actors' spoken lines recorded on set or dubbed later; Foley sounds, which represent the actors' interactions with their surroundings and add authenticity to scenes; ambient sound, which creates a subtle background soundscape to transport the audience to the film's environment; music or score, which evokes emotion and enhances the narrative; and sound effects , which augment the film's realism and atmosphere. To capture ...

The Evolution of Art Styles Through History

The journey of human artistic expression spans millennia, evolving from primitive cave paintings to today's digital creations and conceptual installations. This evolution reflects not just changing techniques and materials, but also the transforming human consciousness, societal values, and technological capabilities across different eras. Study the PDF below (for academic use only) Evolution of Art PDF Prehistoric Era (Before 8th Century BCE): The dawn of human artistic expression began in prehistoric times, characterised by raw, primal representations of daily life, hunting scenes, and spiritual beliefs. Cave paintings and rock art served as humanity's first canvas, using natural pigments to capture the essence of their existence. These early artists laid the foundation for all future artistic expression, demonstrating humanity's inherent need to create and communicate through visual means. Classical Period (8th Century BCE - 5th Century CE) : The Classical period, domi...

Left, Right, Centre, and Gandhiji

Every politician, when he leaves office, ought to go straight to jail and serve his time, thus goes an American folk saying. Politics and politicians have come to be synonymous with dishonesty, favouritism, and corruption. This perhaps is the underlying reasoning for many good and competent people to stay away from active politics; and many corrupt and incompetent people to get attracted to active politics. The good people’s silence and inaction make it easy for the wicked people to fill the world with their opinions, lies, and propaganda; and establish their agendas and actions as normal and standard. For Gandhi, being political was not a choice, but an imperative. He famously said, “Anyone who says they are not interested in politics is like a drowning man who insists he is not interested in water.” Gandhi returned to India on 19 December 1914, after his sojourn in England and South Africa, as quite a matured man of forty-five, having seen the worlds of exploiters and the exploi...

Safety Is Greater Than Protection

Parties and governments are competing over who will push for a more policed and disciplined society. It gives a false sense of safety. On 14 August, as India was celebrating the Nehruvian stroke of the midnight hour, when the world was sleeping, and India awoke to life and freedom; elsewhere and everywhere in our country men and women, especially women in large numbers hit the streets on the eve of Independence Day, to protest the rape and murder of a trainee doctor on duty in RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata; and the attempt of the powerful to derail the course of the investigation; they hit the road to reclaim their life and freedom. The ruling dispensation and patriarchal establishments narcissistically keep feeling good about everything in our country and broadcast it across the globe generously, but the protest indicated that women of the country do not feel the same, they feel the former and the strong men of our country are just feeling good but are not being...

Compassion Fatigue

What does one do when one’s compassion cup goes dry and empty; when one comes to a point where there is nothing more left to give? I lost my mother very recently. She was 93. For the last two and a half years, she was ill, and for the last one and a half years, she was bedridden. Though all her children, when they visited her, used to be generous in taking care of her needs, it was my brother and his wife who took care of her day in and day out. They did an amazing job; they regulated their daily routine to make sure that mother did not lack anything, they sacrificed their possible travels and outdoor fun activities to make sure that there was someone with mother always. As days passed, weeks passed, months and years passed, I could see exhaustion and a certain level of irritation setting in with them. There were feelings of helplessness and powerlessness in the face of distress and pain, for medically they could do nothing more for mother, except to give palliative care. Other s...

photo.graph.art.design

Search This Blog