Hello, My name is Aisling Bradley, and I am a Freshman at HSU this year. I am currently an anthropology major. The reason I am taking this class is to get a different perspective of anthropology than intro to anthropology, to see if this is the right major for me.
What is Art? Art is expression, a way for someone to leave their mark on the world, to present a message in a way that can be universally heard. Art serves as a window for people to look at the world from a new or different perspective. This being said how can we distinguish what is art and what is not. For me it is all about intention, what was the artist, or creator, intending for people to see or use their creations for. Art can be anything that someone took the time to make it something more than what it was originally, adding their own emotional expression to it in the process. This does not necessarily make it aesthetically pleasing, or beautiful, it can easily be grotesque or disturbing, as long as it causes people to reexamine what they know, or shifts their perspective in some way, then it is art.
By studying art anthropologically I hope to gain insight into what art can be for all different cultures and people. Also I hope to see how art can help different cultures understand each other better. Art is a constant and major part of all cultures, that has existed since humans have started to express themselves, and I feel like this class will be a fascinating way to learn about human nature, behavior, and it's various interactions.
I really like what you mentioned about 'intention'. The word insinuates a sense of value that the audience is meant to draw from but it can also narrow down what is really considered art and what is just a functional object. I also liked the phrase "reexamine what they know" as I also wrote about presenting of various views via the artist and the interpretation of the viewer.
ReplyDeleteThe connection that you mention between artist and audience is crucial. An artist doesn't create a work of art for oneself, he/she creates that work of art for people to enjoy. Art can definitely be about opening up new ideas in someone. You're right, art is not solely about creating something beautiful, art is about expression. It is what that piece of art is expressing, to the individual viewing it, as well as to the world as a whole, that is so anthropologically fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that the creators intention, is the main difference between what is art and what is not art. Though the only problem with that is, how do we ever truly know what someone else's intention is. Which creates more problems. But I completely agree that art is all about expression; the only thing that changes is what the artists is expressing and how.
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