Download or read book Defining Contemporary Art written by Daniel Birnbaum and published by Phaidon Press. This book was released on 2011-11-07 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the mid-1980s the sprouting of new movements that had driven modern art since the nineteenth century finally went dormant, sputtering out with a last few half-hearted lels ('pattern painting', 'neo-geo', 'commodity art'). But this was not the end of art history -- far from it. In the years since, art's creative development has remained more vibrant than ever, resulting in a staggering diversity of new forms. Defining Contemporary Art responds to this unique landscape with an innovative approach to art history. Assembled and written by eight of the most prominent curators working today, all of whom have both witnessed and shaped this period, Defining Contemporary Art tells the story of the two hundred pivotal artworks of the past twenty-five years. These artworks include not only the most talked out pieces but also the quietly influential works, those which may have been overlooked at the time of their making but which went on to change the paradigm of their era. Arranged year by year, these two hundred works provide a true chronological depiction of creativity in our era, forming a mosaic in which readers may find their own patterns..
Download or read book Defining Art written by William E. Bray and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2007-05 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In today's murky attempts to define art we see countless articles entitled "Is this Art?" or "What is Art?" Overlooked and forgotten is the definition of art simply provided by perhaps the founder of Western Civilization: Socrates. It is clearly stated in one of Plato's earliest Dialogues ION. In it, Socrates playfully questions an arrogant young actor, who claims all the credit for his achievement citing his skills. Socrates, instead, suggests that he is chosen as a channel (one of a chain of "divine" messengers) to deliver with force the message which came first to and through the poet (Homer), the first in the chain. The listener (audience) is the last in the chain, who becomes a messenger himself to take the message out into the world. Socrates is defining art as a process, whose origins and ultimate purpose is "divine." It is often overlooked by actors, who are urged to read Aristotle's The Poetics, a how-to manual for wannabe actors, for its oversimplified "step 1-2-3" which sometimes leaves the field of drama saturated with uninspired and uninspiring aspirants. In the end, it provides an empty set of exercises side-stepping the real nature of art, which is essentially mysterious and religious. Author William E. Bray provides for the reader an introduction to the Socratic definition of art, a simple test for determining what art is, an introduction to and adaptation of Plato's Dialogue ION and 12 of his reviews of movies which provide "food for the soul." He brings ION, often neglected and ignored, up to date.
Download or read book What Is Art For written by Ellen Dissanayake and published by University of Washington Press. This book was released on 2015-09-01 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every human society displays some form of behavior that can be called “art,” and in most societies other than our own the arts play an integral part in social life. Those who wish to understand art in its broadest sense, as a universal human endowment, need to go beyond modern Western elitist notions that disregard other cultures and ignore the human species’ four-million-year evolutionary history. This book offers a new and unprecedentedly comprehensive theory of the evolutionary significance of art. Art, meaning not only visual art, but music, poetic language, dance, and performance, is for the first time regarded from a biobehavioral or ethical viewpoint. It is shown to be a biological necessity in human existence and fundamental characteristic of the human species. In this provocative study, Ellen Dissanayake examines art along with play and ritual as human behaviors that “make special,” and proposes that making special is an inherited tendency as intrinsic to the human species as speech and toolmaking. She claims that the arts evolved as means of making socially important activities memorable and pleasurable, and thus have been essential to human survival. Avoiding simplism and reductionism, this original synthetic approach permits a fresh look at old questions about the origins, nature, purpose, and value of art. It crosses disciplinary boundaries and integrates a number of divers fields: human ethology; evolutionary biology; the psychology and philosophy of art; physical and cultural anthropology; “primitive” and prehistoric art; Western cultural history; and children’s art. The final chapter, “From Tradition to Aestheticism,” explores some of the ways in which modern Western society has diverged from other societies--particularly the type of society in which human beings evolved--and considers the effects of the aberrance on our art and our attitudes toward art. This book is addressed to readers who have a concerned interest in the arts or in human nature and the state of modern society.
Download or read book Defining Art Creating the Canon written by Paul Crowther and published by Clarendon Press. This book was released on 2007-03-15 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is art; why should we value it; and what allows us to say that one work is better than another? Traditional answers have emphasized aesthetic form. But this has been challenged by institutional definitions of art and postmodern critique. The idea of distinctively artistic value based on aesthetic criteria is at best doubted, and at worst, rejected. This book, however, champions these notions in a new way. It does so through a rethink of the mimetic definition of art on the basis of factors which traditional answers neglect, namely the conceptual link between art's aesthetic value and 'non-exhibited' epistemological and historical relations. These factors converge on an expanded notion of the artistic image (a notion which can even encompass music, abstract art, and some conceptual idioms). The image's style serves to interpret its subject-matter. If this style is original (in comparative historical terms) it can manifest that special kind of aesthetic unity which we call art. Appreciation of this involves a heightened interaction of capacities (such as imagination and understanding) which are basic to knowledge and personal identity. By negotiating these factors, it is possible to define art and its canonic dimensions objectively, and to show that aforementioned sceptical alternatives are incomplete and self-contradictory.
Download or read book What Is Art and Essays on Art written by Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy and published by Read Books Ltd. This book was released on 2020-10-16 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in 1930, this book contains the widely respected essay 'What Is Art', by the well-known Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, and is highly recommended for inclusion on the bookshelf of any fan of his works. Many of these earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
Download or read book Introduction to Art Design Context and Meaning written by Pamela Sachant and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2023-11-27 with total page 614 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning offers a deep insight and comprehension of the world of Art. Contents: What is Art? The Structure of Art Significance of Materials Used in Art Describing Art - Formal Analysis, Types, and Styles of Art Meaning in Art - Socio-Cultural Contexts, Symbolism, and Iconography Connecting Art to Our Lives Form in Architecture Art and Identity Art and Power Art and Ritual Life - Symbolism of Space and Ritual Objects, Mortality, and Immortality Art and Ethics
Download or read book Defining Art Ii Sec I Clause 5 of the Constitution written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on the Judiciary and published by . This book was released on 1920 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Art written by Mike Evans and published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. This book was released on 2008 with total page 804 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A decade-by-decade review of key events and pivotal works of art since 1960.
Download or read book What Is Contemporary Art written by Terry Smith and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2012-08-10 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Who gets to say what counts as contemporary art? Artists, critics, curators, gallerists, auctioneers, collectors, or the public? Revealing how all of these groups have shaped today’s multifaceted definition, Terry Smith brilliantly shows that an historical approach offers the best answer to the question: What is Contemporary Art? Smith argues that the most recognizable kind is characterized by a return to mainstream modernism in the work of such artists as Richard Serra and Gerhard Richter, as well as the retro-sensationalism of figures like Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami. At the same time, Smith reveals, postcolonial artists are engaged in a different kind of practice: one that builds on local concerns and tackles questions of identity, history, and globalization. A younger generation embodies yet a third approach to contemporaneity by investigating time, place, mediation, and ethics through small-scale, closely connective art making. Inviting readers into these diverse yet overlapping art worlds, Smith offers a behind-the-scenes introduction to the institutions, the personalities, the biennials, and of course the works that together are defining the contemporary. The resulting map of where art is now illuminates not only where it has been but also where it is going.
Download or read book Definitions of Art written by Stephen Davies and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2018-08-06 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the last thirty years, work in analytic philosophy of art has flourished, and it has given rise to considerably controversy. Stephen Davies describes and analyzes the definition of art as it has been discussed in Anglo-American philosophy during this period and, in the process, introduces his own perspective on ways in which we should reorient our thinking.Davies conceives of the debate as revealing two basic, conflicting approaches—the functional and the procedural—to the questions of whether art can be defined, and if so, how. As the author sees it, the functionalist believes that an object is a work of art only if it performs a particular function (usually, that of providing a rewarding aesthetic experience). By contrast the proceduralist believes that something is an artwork only if it has been created according to certain rules and procedures. Davies attempts to demonstrate the fruitfulness of viewing the debate in terms of this framework, and he develops new arguments against both points of view—although he is more critical of functional than of procedural definitions.Because it has generated so much of the recent literature, Davies starts his analysis with a discussion of Morris Weitz's germinal paper, "The Role of Theory in Aesthetics." He goes on to examine other important works by Arthur Danto, George Dickie, and Ben Tilghman and develops in his critiques original arguments on such matters of the artificiality of artworks and the relevance of artists' intentions.
Download or read book Who s Afraid of Contemporary Art written by Kyung An and published by Thames & Hudson. This book was released on 2017-03-07 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A smart and playful introduction to the often-mystifying world of contemporary art What is contemporary art? What makes it contemporary? What is it for? And why is it so expensive? From museums and the art market to biennales and the next big thing, Who’s Afraid of Contemporary Art? offers concise and pointed insights into today’s art scene, decoding “Artspeak," explaining what curators do, demystifying conceptual art, exploring emerging art markets, and more. In this easy-to-navigate A to Z guide, the authors’ playful explanations draw on key artworks, artists, and events from around the globe, including how the lights going on and off won the Turner Prize, what makes the likes of Marina Abramovic and Ai Weiwei such great artists, and why Kanye West would trade his Grammys to be one. Packed with behind-the-scenes information and completely free of jargon, Who’s Afraid of Contemporary Art? is the perfect gallery companion and the go to guide for when the next big thing leaves you stumped.
Download or read book What is Islamic Art written by Wendy M. K. Shaw and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-10-10 with total page 387 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An alternate approach to Islamic art emphasizing literary over historical contexts and reception over production in visual arts and music.
Download or read book Plan and Play Play and Plan written by Janwillem Schrofer and published by . This book was released on 2018-01-03 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Visual artist' is a term with untold interpretations, nuances, variations and meanings. But how, as an artist (or designer, photographer, or other ?independent creator?), do you become who you are and who you would like to be?0What fundamental questions, characteristics, dilemmas, ambitions, restrictions and realities play a part? How, as an artist, can you guide your artistic practice, the main criterion being to answer the question: "where do I stand and what do I stand for?"0'Plan and Play, Play and Plan: Positioning by Artists' targets the artist, inviting him or her to reach considerations, often based on analytical models, that will help to determine his position.0The author knows from practical experience the complexity of the artist?s questions and dilemmas, the many areas in which the artist involved and how important self-reflection and self-determination are for artistic practice, without losing sight of the broader social context. He has scrutinized his considerations, assembled notes and pointers ? based on many interviews with a wide variety of artists, from beginners to old hands, from unknown to internationally celebrated ? assimilating them into an appealing book in which terminology, background, components and questions requiring reflection form a cohesive whole.
Download or read book What is Art All About written by Desiderius Orban and published by Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. This book was released on 1978 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book What is Art written by Tiziana Andina and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2017-11-20 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘What is art?’ is one of the classic questions that philosophy has addressed over the ages, from the ancients to today. A discussion of the primary literature of the field introduces a series of considerations used to shift the problem of definition onto new plane, one that is able to respond to the challenges of the performing and participatory arts, which more than any other form of art present particularly unconventional ontologies.
Download or read book What is Art written by Joseph Beuys and published by CLAIRVIEW BOOKS. This book was released on 2012-12-10 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Joseph Beuys’s work continues to influence and inspire practitioners and thinkers all over the world, in areas from organizational learning, direct democracy and new money forms to new art pedagogies and ecological art practices. Here, in dialogue with Volker Harlan - a close colleague, whose own work also revolves around understandings of substance and sacrament that are central to Beuys - the deeper motivations and insights underlying ‘social sculpture’, Beuys’s expanded conception of art, are illuminated. His profound reflections, complemented with insightful essays by Volker Harlan, give a sense of the interconnectedness between all life forms, and the foundations of a path towards an ecologically sustainable future. This volume features over 40 b/w illustrations.
Download or read book Design as Art written by Bruno Munari and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2008-09-25 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do we see the world around us? The Penguin on Design series includes the works of creative thinkers whose writings on art, design and the media have changed our vision forever. Bruno Munari was among the most inspirational designers of all time, described by Picasso as ‘the new Leonardo’. Munari insisted that design be beautiful, functional and accessible, and this enlightening and highly entertaining book sets out his ideas about visual, graphic and industrial design and the role it plays in the objects we use everyday. Lamps, road signs, typography, posters, children’s books, advertising, cars and chairs – these are just some of the subjects to which he turns his illuminating gaze.
