Art, Aesthetics, and Taste Philosophies

Hegel argues that our appreciation of nature's beauty parallels our experience of art, suggesting that artworks sensuously embody fundamental thoughts about our existence.
Art is linked to human thought, particularly philosophy and religion.

Aesthetic qualities include expressions like "is delicate" and descriptive qualities consist of statements such as "is square" or "is colored red."
Frank Sibley contends that aesthetic judgments are "loose"; there are no necessary or sufficient conditions for these to be valid.
Judgements of aesthetic quality arise from an exercise of taste, which is distinct from the five standard senses.

Kendall L. Walton suggests that understanding an art piece's aesthetic features requires categorization (e.g., recognizing Picasso's "Guernica" as a painting).
Walton refutes the traditional view that one should approach art without preconceptions, asserting that an artist's intention may be crucial for proper categorization.

Morris Weitz argues that the concept of art cannot be strictly defined.
He posits that art is an open concept, allowing for criteria that evolve as art changes direction.
Weitz states that describing something as art carries normative charges; the act of classification often implies praise.

Denis Dutton's study emphasizes the relevance of Darwinian theory to understanding art.
Dutton critiques views that reduce art to a by-product of adaptive traits, arguing instead that art serves humans in achieving pleasure through inherent cognitive preferences influenced by ancestral environments.

Peg Brand Weiser challenges Immanuel Kant's view that we must approach art without personal biases.
She advocates for a contextualist approach, emphasizing that social and political settings, including gender considerations, influence our experiences and judgments of art.

Standard of Taste: Hume asserts that humans naturally seek a standard to reconcile varying sentiments around aesthetics.
He highlights a distinction between judgment (which relates to facts) and sentiment (which is inherently valid).
Sentiments vary widely but all individuals should accept their perspectives without imposing them on others.
Beauty and deformity are subjective, residing in the mind of the observer rather than in objects themselves.

Any inquiry into an object's "real beauty" is fruitless, as beauty is perception-based.
Hume states that aesthetic standards emerge from shared human experiences and criteria, evolving from cultural and historical practices.

Rules in art are established based on collective experience; they reflect what has historically pleased audiences.
Despite innovation in art, rules should guide composition to enhance beauty.

Recognized qualities vary significantly from one observer to another.
There exists a range of taste, influenced by personal disposition and experience with the art forms.

Hume uses the metaphor of delicate wine tasting to illustrate nuances in aesthetic judgments and awareness between individuals.
The concept of "delicacy" is crucial in distinguishing between levels of sensitivity toward beauty in art.

Hume posits that experience improves taste; repeated exposure sharpens aesthetic appreciation.
Recognizing finer qualities becomes possible through practice and thoughtful contemplation of artworks.

Hume identifies two main sources of variation in aesthetic appreciation:
1. Individual humors or dispositions.
2. Societal norms, opinions, and historical context.

Sublime Defined: Burke defines the sublime in nature as a source of astonishment, which produces a mix of awe and horror.
Unlike beauty, the sublime overwhelms reason and compels attention, often linked to elements of terror.

Burke argues that terror is a fundamental aspect of the sublime; it can arise from both significant dimensions or fear-inducing elements.
The emotional response to terror enhances the perception of a grand object, exemplified by nature's vastness or dangerous creatures.

Burke references linguistic parallels between astonishment and terror across various languages to suggest a deep-rooted human connection to these emotions.
Conclusion: Hume and Burke's philosophies explore aesthetic experiences, revealing the complexities of taste, beauty, and sublimity, while emphasizing personal perspective and cultural context in understanding art.