Describe what you see Aesthetics A branch of

Describe what you see:

Aesthetics A branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty.

Aesthetician Believes that the study of the nature and value of art guides us toward intelligent opinions about art. 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

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

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 Van. Gogh, 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?