Art Appreciation and Philosophical Perspectives Notes

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, philosophical perspectives, functions, and definitions of art from Lessons 1 through 3.

Art Appreciation

The act of enjoying, understanding, and finding meaning in a work of art, or viewing art throughout history with a focus on cultures, people, and development across specific periods.

Ars

The Latin word from which the term art originates, meaning art, skill, or craft.

Creativity (Richard Foster)

The process of making something new—producing solutions that are insightful, novel, simple, elegant, and generative—rather than merely applying or discovering something new.

Creative Process (Berys Gaut)

The production of something valuable and original by flair, where originality, value, and flair serve as vital ingredients.

Imagination (Cambridge Dictionary)

The ability to form pictures in the mind.

Imagined Object

The image itself produced by the imagination, which comes with meaning but emerges without pragmatic intent or real-world purpose.

Philosophy of Art

The study of the nature of art, including concepts such as interpretation, representation, expression, and form.

Aesthetics

The philosophical study of beauty and taste.

Art Criticism

The branch concerned specifically with the analysis and evaluation of particular works of art.

Art as Imitation (Plato)

The perspective introduced in The Republic that artists are mere imitators and creators of appearances, thrice removed from objective truth and the Ideal Form of Beauty.

Tekhnê

Technical skills acquired through education and based on scientific knowledge, required by artists to produce art according to Plato and Aristotle.

Nous

In Aristotle's philosophy, an infallible mental faculty through which human beings have the ability to apprehend the divine element within themselves.

Art as Representation (Aristotle)

The perspective in Poetics where art is the productive process that transubstantiates the informal into the formal to capture the Universal.

Fine Art (Immanuel Kant)

The art of genius, defined as a kind of representation that is purposive in itself and, though without an end, nevertheless promotes the cultivation of mental powers for sociable communication.

Art as Communication of Emotion (Leo Tolstoy)

The theory presented in What is Art? stating that art is a human activity using external signs to hand on lived feelings, promoting mutual understanding, empathy, and mankind's collective well-being.

Non-motivated Functions of Art

Purposes of art that are integral to human nature, transcend the individual, and fulfill no specific external or utilitarian purpose.

Motivated Functions of Art

Intentional, conscious actions on the part of artists to bring about specific outcomes, such as political change, communication, entertainment, or psychological healing.

Avant-Garde Arts

Early twentieth-century art movements—including Dadaism, Surrealism, Russian constructivism, and Abstract Expressionism—that aimed to use visual images to bring about political change.

Trashion

The practice of using trash to make fashion, utilized by artists such as Marina DeBris as art for social causes to raise awareness about pollution.

Diagnostic Drawing Series

An art therapy tool used by psychotherapists and clinical psychologists to determine the personality and emotional functioning of a patient.

Sustainable Development Goal #4

The United Nations goal for Quality Education, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030.

Sustainable Development Goal #5

The United Nations goal for Gender Equality, aimed at eliminating all forms of discrimination against women and girls in private and public spheres by 2030.