Module 3
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Modesto Junior College *
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Arts Humanities
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Jan 9, 2024
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Recognize and summarize changing perceptions and definitions of art throughout history.
Art has gone through a number of transitions throughout the course of known history.
During the medieval and Renaissance eras, art as we might think about it today was typically
only done in a religious context. Artists would often be taken under contract to complete a work
depicting a religious work that would be present either in the church or actually be done on the
physical structure of the church. As time progressed and we moved towards the 17
th
century, art
began to move away from the religious and turn instead to depictions of aristocrats who used
said art as a means of confirming their wealth or status to society. Art also moved from an
almost purely commission-based approach to a public market method of distributing art. The
collecting of art became seen as a pastime for those who could afford it and served to further
their status amongst their peers as well as those above and below them socially. In the modern
era, arts presence moved to a more global scale and level of consumption. Art is typically
pursued as a means of expression of values and beliefs by the artist as well as for financial gain.
An artist's work can also express their thoughts on worldly events and how they are shaping
society as a whole.
Define aesthetics and some variables in how we perceive and assign value to art.
Aesthetics is the level of beauty that a viewer perceives. That beauty can be in reference
to nature, art, people, or anything that the viewer is able to analyze and perceive to form a
judgment. In the realm of art and our perception of art, aesthetics can be used to not only
perceive a piece of art but also to assign value to that piece. The value that is placed on art by an
individual is based largely on their personal relationship to the artwork and its subject matter. A
value decision is made based on the individual's experiences and their culture. The average
person has a number of personal biases that they themselves may not even be aware of.
Because of this wide assortment of beliefs and perceptions, the value given to any one piece of
art is more often than not, subjective. There are few pieces that are wholly considered beautiful
or aesthetically pleasing and even those have their detractors.
Describe and discuss some contemporary theories in the definition of art.
There are a number of theories of what defines art in contemporary times. One such
theory is the institutional theory which states that art is essentially whatever an artist or creator
is able to claim as art is, in fact, art. This is to say that as long as the artist deems something art
then it is art. Another theory concerns itself with the means by which a work of art was
constructed. These procedural theorists believe that the creation process is what deems
something to be art regardless of how it may be received by the public. The antithesis of this
theory is given by Leo Tolstoy in his claim that the process or intent of the artist has no bearing
on whether something is considered art and is instead determined by how the audience
experiences it (audience/viewer context). Another theory that tries to define art is the
functionalist theory which states that something may be deemed art based on the function that
it serves within a specific context.
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