Aesthetics, Art Criticism, and Art History

Introduction

Photo of The Art Critic with Aesthetics, Art Criticism and Art History title In a previous module, we touched on "What is Art?", the philosophical question with no simple answers. Is there any such thing as one true universal definition? Or do definitions change over time and throughout the world? Did you know that the study of art and beauty is called aesthetics and is a branch of philosophy? Aesthetics (es-thet-iks) is a component of art. Aesthetics deals with questions about art and the nature of and our experiences with beauty. Asking questions such as: What does our society consider art? What is the role or purpose of art in our society? Think about your previous classes, artists you've met, the artwork you've seen in books, public places, and in your home. Aesthetics deals with the creation of and response to art, how to interpret meaning, and standards for judging art's significance. Why do people create art? People have different opinions about what makes an artwork successful. You will learn the Feldman process of using an aesthetic standpoint to critique a work of art. After learning this process, you will see that it is possible to dislike an artwork, but still consider it successful. We will also take a journey through the history of art and art periods, focusing on the art movement Surrealism for this module's studio project.

Essential Questions

What is beauty?
What is aesthetics?
Why do we criticize art?
How does art criticism link to other subject areas?
How does art reflect the society and time period it comes from?

Key Terms

Aesthetics - is a component of art and a branch of philosophy. Aesthetics deals with questions about art and the nature of and our experiences with beauty. Aesthetics deals with the creation of and response to art, how to interpret meaning, and standards for judging art's significance.
Aesthetic Experience - emotional reaction to a moment in which you are caught up in the beauty of an experience. There is potential for aesthetic responses to everyday experiences and to works of art.
Art Criticism – the act of formally judging artwork from the viewpoint of an aesthetic theory.
Formalism - a theory of art that places emphasis on design qualities and the elements and principles of art.
Imitationalism - an aesthetic theory focusing on realistic artwork.
Emotionalism - an aesthetic theory that requires a strong communication of feelings, moods, or ideas from the work to the viewer.

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