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47142
Formalism
Description
A-Level Philosophy (Why do we value art?) Mind Map on Formalism, created by lucy-hook on 15/04/2013.
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philosophy
why do we value art?
philosophy
why do we value art?
a-level
Mind Map by
lucy-hook
, updated more than 1 year ago
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lucy-hook
over 11 years ago
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Resource summary
Formalism
Refers to the idea that what matters in a work of art is not what it represents or expresses, but the form of the art.
Form in art means the particular artistic qualities such as elegance, balance or grace.
It encompasses all forms of art - abstract art that is not representative and art without emotional value. Context also becomes irrelevant.
Clive Bell and art as significant form
Art is created by humans and have the ability to produce an aesthetic emotion.
An aesthetic emotion is the singular pleasure provided by a work of art.
Significant form is achieved through combination of lines, shapes and colours, which relate to each other in specific ways
Art can be non-represnetatiive as artists may use their imagination beyond our individual perspectives
The task of the viewer is not to understand the expression of emotion
Bell's example of bad art: William Firth's 'The Railway Station'
It's purpose is to represent a particular scene but Bell felt that the result is unattractive - it does not provoke an aesthetic rapture
Bell's example of good art: Cezanne's 'Hillside in Provence'
It is not an accurate portrayal but the way that he has put the colours together produces an aesthetic response
Strengths
encompasses most types of art; abstract, non-representative, unemotional and architecture.
No need for understanding of context - explains how we can be interested in a painting and not what the painting is of
distinguishes what is not art through significant form, nature or human expression can not be art
all art has signicant form and significant form is what art is
objectivity - modern formalists distinguish form from beauty, and value art solely for its formal features.
appreciation of beauty is subjective, appreaciation of form is not.
art can be useful as representation or giving moral message but the principal function must be aesthetic
Weaknesses
elitism
only a few people are sensitive viewers and can understand and analyse the formal qualities of art
ivory tower view of art, in so far as the study of formal qualities in art are too removed from other meaningful human experiences
forgeries
a perfect forgery would have the same form as the original
to claim that it is the fact that the original has the artist's own significant form is to get too close to expressionist theories
portraits and lanscapes
the first thing we see in a portrait or landscape is what it represents and not the formal qualities
knowing the subject of a portrait can improve our appreciation of it
art has an important place in life - that formalism neglects
do we value Guernica by Picasso only for it's formal qualities? Or do we value it for its effect on society - representing the horror of war
ready-made objects
does not account for ready-made art that does not have form in mind
e.g. Duchamp's Fountain and Emin's My Bed
circular
significant form and aesthetic emotion define each other
religious or moral art
cathedrals were built to promote Christianity
works of art can display communication of religious or social meanings
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