Why does art exist

We can all recognize how much art inspires us. Even people who grew up with a limited exposure to art. And sometimes, just getting out a sketchbook and drawing for 5 minutes a day is all that matters. Not worrying about trying to make a great work of art, wondering if anyone will like it, or thinking about whether it will sell or make you famous. Getting down to just being creative is an incredibly powerful exercise with multiple personal, emotional and mental benefits.

Art is also the earliest form of communication. It transcends time. Art exists because it is a language; it creates a homogenized culture, and culture and language are embedded in our genome. Long before the Lascaux cave paintings, the oldest known drawing by a Homo Sapiens, 43 years ago, was discovered in South Africa. Whoop whoop! Representing what we see visually has always been important to us as humans. And cave paintings were the original urge of this expression.

Art has remained throughout our evolution. It is taking the time to observe things, to record things, and to communicate them. The earliest forms of writing were of course, pictographs.

But art is more than just representing immediate things. It also goes beyond and conveys ideas, concepts, beliefs, memories, people etc. Art has always been closely tied to religious expression; a calling out to the Deities. It usually highlights a cultural, religious or political point in time. So why does art exist? For example, possessing representational, expressive, and formal properties cannot be sufficient conditions, since, obviously, instructional manuals are representations, but not typically artworks, human faces and gestures have expressive properties without being works of art, and both natural objects and artifacts produced solely for homely utilitarian purposes have formal properties but are not artworks.

The ease of these dismissals, though, serves as a reminder of the fact that classical definitions of art are significantly less philosophically self-contained or freestanding than are most contemporary definitions of art.

Relatedly, great philosophers characteristically analyze the key theoretical components of their definitions of art in distinctive and subtle ways.

For these reasons, understanding such definitions in isolation from the systems or corpuses of which they are parts is difficult, and brief summaries are invariably somewhat misleading. Nevertheless, some representative examples of historically influential definitions of art offered by major figures in the history of philosophy should be mentioned.

Artworks are ontologically dependent on, imitations of, and therefore inferior to, ordinary physical objects. Physical objects in turn are ontologically dependent on, and imitations of, and hence inferior to, what is most real, the non-physical unchanging Forms.

Grasped perceptually, artworks present only an appearance of an appearance of the Forms, which are grasped by reason alone. Consequently, artistic experience cannot yield knowledge. Nor do the makers of artworks work from knowledge. Because artworks engage an unstable, lower part of the soul, art should be subservient to moral realities, which, along with truth, are more metaphysically fundamental and, properly understood, more humanly important than, beauty.

The arts are not, for Plato, the primary sphere in which beauty operates. The Platonic conception of beauty is extremely wide and metaphysical: there is a Form of Beauty, which can only be known non-perceptually, but it is more closely related to the erotic than to the arts. Art for Kant falls under the broader topic of aesthetic judgment, which covers judgments of the beautiful, judgments of the sublime, and teleological judgments of natural organisms and of nature itself.

The deepest metaphysical truth, according to Hegel, is that the universe is the concrete realization of what is conceptual or rational. That is, what is conceptual or rational is real, and is the imminent force that animates and propels the self-consciously developing universe.

The universe is the concrete realization of what is conceptual or rational, and the rational or conceptual is superior to the sensory. So, as the mind and its products alone are capable of truth, artistic beauty is metaphysically superior to natural beauty. Hegel, Introduction III p. A central and defining feature of beautiful works of art is that, through the medium of sensation, each one presents the most fundamental values of its civilization.

Art and religion in turn are, in this respect, inferior to philosophy, which employs a conceptual medium to present its content.

Art initially predominates, in each civilization, as the supreme mode of cultural expression, followed, successively, by religion and philosophy.

Skeptical doubts about the possibility and value of a definition of art have figured importantly in the discussion in aesthetics since the s, and though their influence has subsided somewhat, uneasiness about the definitional project persists. See section 4, below, and also Kivy , Brand , and Walton Hence art is indefinable Weitz Against this it is claimed that change does not, in general, rule out the preservation of identity over time, that decisions about concept-expansion may be principled rather than capricious, and that nothing bars a definition of art from incorporating a novelty requirement.

A second sort of argument, less common today than in the heyday of a certain form of extreme Wittgensteinianism, urges that the concepts that make up the stuff of most definitions of art expressiveness, form are embedded in general philosophical theories which incorporate traditional metaphysics and epistemology.

But since traditional metaphysics and epistemology are prime instances of language gone on conceptually confused holiday, definitions of art share in the conceptual confusions of traditional philosophy Tilghman A third sort of argument, more historically inflected than the first, takes off from an influential study by the historian of philosophy Paul Kristeller, in which he argued that the modern system of the five major arts [painting, sculpture, architecture, poetry, and music] which underlies all modern aesthetics … is of comparatively recent origin and did not assume definite shape before the eighteenth century, although it had many ingredients which go back to classical, mediaeval, and Renaissance thought.

As a matter of historical fact, there simply is no stable definiendum for a definition of art to capture. A fourth sort of argument suggests that a definition of art stating individually necessary and jointly sufficient conditions for a thing to be an artwork, is likely to be discoverable only if cognitive science makes it plausible to think that humans categorize things in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions. But, the argument continues, cognitive science actually supports the view that the structure of concepts mirrors the way humans categorize things — which is with respect to their similarity to prototypes or exemplars , and not in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions.

So the quest for a definition of art that states individually necessary and jointly sufficient conditions is misguided and not likely to succeed Dean Against this it has been urged that psychological theories of concepts like the prototype theory and its relatives can provide at best an account of how people in fact classify things, but not an account of correct classifications of extra-psychological phenomena, and that, even if relevant, prototype theory and other psychological theories of concepts are at present too controversial to draw substantive philosophical morals from Rey ; Adajian A fifth argument against defining art, with a normative tinge that is psychologistic rather than sociopolitical, takes the fact that there is no philosophical consensus about the definition of art as reason to hold that no unitary concept of art exists.

Concepts of art, like all concepts, after all, should be used for the purpose s they best serve. But not all concepts of art serve all purposes equally well. So not all art concepts should be used for the same purposes. So, since there is no purpose-independent use of the concept of art, art should not be defined Mag Uidhir and Magnus ; cf.

Meskin In response, it is noted that some account of what makes various concepts of art concepts of art is still required; this leaves open the possibility of some degree of unity beneath the apparent multiplicity. The fact if it is one that different concepts of art are used for different purposes does not itself imply that they are not connected in ordered, to-some-degree systematic ways. That is, it is not evident that there exist a mere arbitrary heap or disjunction of art concepts, constituting an unsystematic patchwork.

Perhaps there is a single concept of art with different facets that interlock in an ordered way, or else a multiplicity of concepts that constitute a unity because one is at the core, and the others depend asymmetrically on it.

The last is an instance of core-dependent homonymy; see the entry on Aristotle , section on Essentialism and Homonymy. A sixth, broadly Marxian sort of objection rejects the project of defining art as an unwitting and confused expression of a harmful ideology.

On this view, the search for a definition of art presupposes, wrongly, that the concept of the aesthetic is a creditable one. But since the concept of the aesthetic necessarily involves the equally bankrupt concept of disinterestedness, its use advances the illusion that what is most real about things can and should be grasped or contemplated without attending to the social and economic conditions of their production.

Definitions of art, consequently, spuriously confer ontological dignity and respectability on social phenomena that probably in fact call more properly for rigorous social criticism and change. Their real function is ideological, not philosophical Eagleton Seventh, the members of a complex of skeptically-flavored arguments, from feminist philosophy of art, begin with premises to the effect that art and art-related concepts and practices have been systematically skewed by sex or gender.

Such premises are supported by a variety of considerations. Moreover, the concept of genius developed historically in such a way as to exclude women artists Battersby, , Korsmeyer Moreover, because all aesthetic judgments are situated and particular, there can be no such thing as disinterested taste.

If there is no such thing as disinterested taste, then it is hard to see how there could be universal standards of aesthetic excellence. The non-existence of universal standards of aesthetic excellence undermines the idea of an artistic canon and with it the project of defining art.

Art as historically constituted, and art-related practices and concepts, then, reflect views and practices that presuppose and perpetuate the subordination of women. The data that definitions of art are supposed to explain are biased, corrupt and incomplete. As a consequence, present definitions of art, incorporating or presupposing as they do a framework that incorporates a history of systematically biased, hierarchical, fragmentary, and mistaken understandings of art and art-related phenomena and concepts, may be so androcentric as to be untenable.

Some theorists have suggested that different genders have systematically unique artistic styles, methods, or modes of appreciating and valuing art. If so, then a separate canon and gynocentric definitions of art are indicated Battersby , Frueh In any case, in the face of these facts, the project of defining art in anything like the traditional way is to be regarded with suspicion Brand, The various interactions between the elements and principles of art help artists to organize sensorially pleasing works of art while also giving viewers a framework within which to analyze and discuss aesthetic ideas.

Ecce Homo , Caravaggio, : This is an example of a Baroque painting. A fundamental purpose inherent to most artistic disciplines is the underlying intention to appeal to, and connect with, human emotion. A fundamental purpose common to most art forms is the underlying intention to appeal to, and connect with, human emotion.

However, the term is incredibly broad and is broken up into numerous sub-categories that lead to utilitarian , decorative, therapeutic, communicative, and intellectual ends. In its broadest form, art may be considered an exploration of the human condition, or a product of the human experience. The decorative arts add aesthetic and design values to everyday objects, such as a glass or a chair, transforming them from a mere utilitarian object to something aesthetically beautiful.

Entire schools of thought exist based on the concepts of design theory intended for the physical world. Bauhaus chair by Marcel Breuer : The decorative arts add aesthetic and design values to everyday objects. Art can function therapeutically as well, an idea that is explored in art therapy. While definitions and practices vary, art therapy is generally understood as a form of therapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication.

It is a relatively young discipline, first introduced around the midth century. Historically, the fine arts were meant to appeal to the human intellect, though currently there are no true boundaries. Typically, fine art movements have reacted to each other both intellectually and aesthetically throughout the ages. With the introduction of conceptual art and postmodern theory, practically anything can be termed art.

In general terms, the fine arts represent an exploration of the human condition and the attempt to experience a deeper understanding of life. The meaning of art is shaped by the intentions of the artist as well as the feelings and ideas it engenders in the viewer. The meaning of art is often culturally specific, shared among the members of a given society and dependent upon cultural context. The purpose of works of art may be to communicate political, spiritual or philosophical ideas, to create a sense of beauty see aesthetics , to explore the nature of perception, for pleasure, or to generate strong emotions.

Its purpose may also be seemingly nonexistent. More recently, thinkers influenced by Martin Heidegger have interpreted art as the means by which a community develops for itself a medium for self-expression and interpretation. Helen Frankenthaler, : A photograph of the American artist Helen Frankenthaler in her studio in Art, in its broadest sense, is a form of communication.

It means whatever the artist intends it to mean, and this meaning is shaped by the materials, techniques, and forms it makes use of, as well as the ideas and feelings it creates in its viewers. In this way, the public should appreciate the art works. If the public appreciates the 'art', then the work will be appreciated by the artist.

In this example, the child is believed to be a genius. The public and the parents want to show their love and gratitude by showering gifts and love on the child. But, because the child is seen as a genius, the 'parents' tend to show their love to the child by giving gifts, and not by showing their love to the child through caring and giving.

In this way, they would like the child to give something back to the 'parents'. In this way, they do not want to do anything for the child. In this way, they do not show their 'love' and gratitude to the child. Therefore, the parents will spend money for the child, but they will not spend money for the child to make the child happy.

In this way, the 'parents' would not show the child their love and gratitude. We don't have many exhibitionists. We do not have many exhibitionists in the sense of the culture of the society. Therefore, people who are exhibitionists are rare. Exhibitionists are people who spend a lot of their time in front of the mirror, naked, brushing their teeth, washing their face, and 'rubbing their bodies' in order to see their nude body, which is the 'exhibition' of the 'artist'.

The Art Bay Staff. Art Exhibitions If you are an artist, you are likely to be an exhibitionist. Exhibitionists, who spend their whole life in an exhibitionist way, are extremely rare.