RI ZALTECHNOLOGIC ALUNIVERSI TY

Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig

GE06:
Arts Appreciation
 RI ZALTECHNOLOGIC ALUNIVERSI TY
Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig

SESSION NO 2. / WEEK NO. 2

MODULE NO. 1: The Philosophy of Beauty

Topics covered in this module includes:

1. Defining Aesthetics,
2. Aesthetics as a matter of Taste,
3. Judging Beauty,
4. The narrow Aesthetic of Human Beauty.

Overview

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it”

- Kong Qiu, Chinese Philopher

In the local gallery there is one of your favorite paintings by Picasso. It has been in the gallery
for twenty years and has helped to attract countless visitors. The curator and other art experts
have written about the aesthetic qualities of this painting and how it fits in with Picasso’s Cubist
art. It has toured other galleries and is insured for millions of dollars.

Imagine then that a woman comes forward and can demonstrate that she, in fact, painted this
‘Picasso.’ It turns out that she is an exceptionally brilliant forger - and this is an excellent forgery.

Putting aside that the painting is financially devalued, the question we propose to you is this: has
the aesthetic value - the capacity to elicit pleasure from its beauty - been diminished, now that it
is known that this painting is not a real Picasso?

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Study Guide

How the learners will complete the module:

• Participation in the introductory discussion via Google Meet/Zoom

• Modular integration and assessment activities
• Accomplishment of the final assessment exam.

This module is divided into these parts:

• Overview
• Learning Outcomes
• Topic Presentation

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, the learner will be able to:

1. Judge whether beauty is absolute;
2. Defend if the standard of beauty is different for different gender;
3. Create an infographic that demonstrate whether beauty is subjective or objective.

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Topic Presentation

1. Defining Aesthetics
Aesthetics is the philosophical study of beauty and taste. It deals with the meaning, perception,
and nature of beauty. It concerns itself with questions relating to the nature and source of art.
Aesthetics is also about the appreciation, and the creation, of art works.

Ultimately, aesthetics is the field of study in which we constantly interrogate our sense of beauty
- and the category of beautiful - as applied to all things "created" and natural. It is about what
constitutes “taste.” It is how we are able to say that one object is more beautiful
than another object. It is what we use to set a standard for beauty against which we judge all
manner of things and people.

And therein lies the problem - how does one, and how can one, define beauty? How, where,
and who did we get this standard from? Is something inherently and independently beautiful,
or does it need the gaze of the outsider to define those qualities and pass judgement?

The quality of beauty is often defined as that which is pleasing, either to the senses or to the
mind. The concept that something can be “beautiful” is universal: we seem to collectively agree
that there is a quality or characteristic that a thing or being can have that we call “beauty.”

A philosopher who ponder how and why aesthetic objects have such a hold on us, and what
value they serve in our lives are known as Aestheticians. An object of aesthetic appreciation is
defined as something that prompts valuable aesthetic emotions in us. Aestheticians typically
divide objects of aesthetic appreciation into art objects, which are human-made, and objects of
natural beauty.

Some people, like 19th century Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, understood art primarily in terms
of the artist, as an expression of the ineffable emotions of the person who created it. Some
thinkers argue that the intention of the artist is really important - that the artist must want to
evoke some valuable emotion in the audience for their work to be considered art, but some
other thinks an object can be an art even if it wasn’t with that intent – that art could come about
accident. What makes something art is the aesthetic emotion that it brings out in the audience.
So, rather than the point of creation, the real key moment is when the audience encounters,
and affected by, an artwork.

The harder you think about the definition of arts, the more impossible it seems to define, but
according to Wittgensteinian Approach, and argue that the concept of art defies definition,
but you know it when you see it.

Aesthetic falls into the broad category of value theory – which also include ethics, but unlike
ethics, where many people think there are absolute right and wrong answers – like, killing is
wrong and helping people is good. Many people think that beauty is simply in the eye of the
beholder. In other words, aesthetic appreciation isn’t the kind of thing you can be wrong about
– it’s all just a matter of taste. But remember, if you think that beauty is in the eye of the
beholder, then no one can be wrong about their aesthetic belief.

There are some philosopher who have realized that our intuitions about art tend to be
conflicting. Like, on the one hand, it all seems to be subjective, but on the other hand, there
have to be some kind of objective criteria. On 18th Century Scottish Philosopher David Hume
said that “When we think about art, we should take care not to confuse the question, “Do I like

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it?” with the question “Is it good?”. Hume thought that aesthetic value was objective to some
extent, and that we’re all predisposed to find certain objects and patterns to be aesthetically
pleasing. Just we have a sense of smell and sight and hearing, we also have a sense of
aesthetic taste – an ability to detect and evaluate the aesthetic properties of an object. If you
don’t happen to have natural “Good taste” it can still be learned over time. You can study and
discover what other appreciate about an aesthetic object that doesn’t currently speak to you.
And overtime, you’ll recognize it too. An ability to appreciate things can be acquired, because
it gives you pleasure and it lets you understand things about the world, and other people, that
you might otherwise miss.

2. Is it Subjective or Objective?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. (Subjective View)

David Hume (1711-1776 CE).

“Beauty is no quality in things themselves: it exists merely in the mind which contemplates
them; and each mind perceives a different beauty. One person may even perceive deformity,
where another is sensible of beauty; and every individual ought to acquiesce in his own
sentiment, without pretending to regulate those of others.”

Hume would also suggest that beauty remains inert until something is judged as having beauty
and there is a shared agreement of beauty.

Francis Hutcheson (1694 - 1746 CE).

Beauty is subjective - it is based on the experience of pleasure that we have when we look at
or listen to certain things. There are two types of beauty - Absolute Beauty, the kind of beauty
to be found in nature, and Relative Beauty, the beauty that characterizes art. The sensation we
have of beauty is our perception of the similarities and differences between how close the
imitation is to the reality.

Alexander Baumgarten (1714 - 1762, CE).

It was Baumgarten who appropriated the word, aesthetics, and gave it its modern meaning: to
“sense” beauty. He introduced the concept of judging beauty through our senses (instead of
just the intellect), and of proposing that morals play a role in experiencing artwork, encouraging
people to consider whether their morals influence their aesthetic experience.

Clive Bell (1881–1964).

In his “The Aesthetic Hypothesis,” Bell contends, “The starting-point for all systems of
aesthetics must be the personal experience of a peculiar emotion. The objects that provoke
this emotion we call works of art; this emotion is called the aesthetic emotion -- It will be said
that the objects that provoke this emotion vary with each individual, and that therefore a system
of aesthetics can have no objective validity. However, we have no other means of recognizing
a work of art than our feeling for it. I have no right to consider anything a work of art to which I
cannot react emotionally; and I have no right to look for the essential quality in anything that I
have not felt to be a work of art. All systems of aesthetics must be based on personal
experience - that is to say, they must be subjective.”

Beautiful things are inherently beautiful. (Objective View)

Plato (427- 448 BCE).

Plato’s “Theory of Knowledge” contends that we are all born with knowledge, but when our
souls became trapped in our bodies at birth, we forgot it. Learning then, is akin to remembering
this Knowledge of Forms (definition: In many of his dialogues, Plato mentions supra-sensible
entities he calls "Forms" (or "Ideas"). Forms are exemplars. For example, Plato believes that

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The Form of Beauty is perfect beauty, the Form of Justice is perfect justice, and so forth.”).
Recognizing the beauty in a flower or a sunset, takes us one step closer to reclaiming this lost
“Knowledge of Beauty.” Keep in mind though, the forms of beauty we perceive with our physical
senses, are not real, but mimesis - the imitation or replicas of the Form of Beauty, itself. True
knowledge of Beauty cannot be seen or heard, it can only be known by the mind.

Aristotle (384 - 322 BCE).

An object’s form is the cause of its beauty. Aristotle’s notion of mimesis is similar to the view of
Plato, since they both claim that art imitates nature. However, Aristotle did not think nature
imitated the realm of the Forms.

The Golden Mean.

The Greeks believed there to be three "ingredients" to beauty: symmetry (definition: A sense
of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance.), proportion (definition: Refers to the
relative size and scale of the various elements in an object.), and harmony (definition: All parts
of an object relate to and complement each other.).

St. Augustine (354 CE).

Augustine made a sharp distinction between the creations of God (ex nihilo) and the creations
of artists (ex materia). God created matter, which was initially a formless void without beauty.
Things become more beautiful as they possess more form, and less void - becoming more like
God, who possesses perfect form. Therefore, something made by man will always contain less
beauty than something made by nature, which is closer to God.

St. Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274 CE).

Everything that has being will have a degree of beauty, regardless of how small that degree
appears. An object must exist, in some sense, in order for it to be beautiful; otherwise, it would
be nothing.

Immanuel Kant (1724 - 1804 CE).

How are judgments about beauty possible? Judgements of beauty are often based on feelings;
feelings which cannot be proven or measured. Thus, true aesthetic judgments must be free of
desire - they must be disinterested if they are to be valid.

Kant is the founder of Formalism (definition: Formalism is the study of art by analyzing and
comparing form and style—the way objects are made and their purely visual aspects. At its
extreme, formalism in art history posits that everything necessary to comprehending a work of
art is contained within the work of art.) in aesthetics.

Georg Hegel (1770 - 1831 CE).

Hegel proposed that the point of art is not to be realistic - it wasn’t meant to imitate or mirror
everyday life—but to show us what divine and human freedom should look like. Such sensuous
expression of spiritual freedom is what Hegel called the “Ideal,” or true beauty. He felt that art
was the first stage in which the absolute spirit is immediately manifested to our sense-
perception, and is thus is an objective rather than a subjective revelation of beauty.

3. Is Aesthetics a Matter of Taste?

No object is so ugly that, under certain conditions of light and shade, or proximity to other
things, it will not look beautiful; no object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not
look ugly. I believe that in every twenty-four hours what is beautiful looks ugly, and what is ugly
looks beautiful, once.

~ Oscar Wilde, (1854-1900), British author, Lecture to Art Students.

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Aesthetic taste is the ability to recognize the aesthetic features of an object.

Hume had much to say on the matter of taste, contending that some people were not educated
enough to have a refined sense of judgement.

Indeed, the terms “good taste” and “bad taste” often have implied classism , with “poor taste”
generally viewed as that which is mass-produced, unrefined, cheap, even vulgar and offensive.
As a society, we often hold each other accountable for our tastes, commending people for
having “good taste” in fashion, food, and other luxuries - condemning people if we deem their
tastes as being inferior in some way.

The Mona Lisa, painted by Italian artist Leonardo Da Vinci, has often been considered the most
famous painting in history. Yearly, a multitude of people travel to the Louvre to see this famous
portrait. It is also documented that no painting has been reimagined and recreated as often as
the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa, is, for many, the epitome of "good taste," an invaluable artistic
masterpiece.

And then, there are the reproductions.

The Mona Lisa's image - because it is in the public domain - can be found on everything from
bathmats to T-shirts; it has been mass-produced as a poster to be hung on a school dorm wall,
as well as parodied in comic form using LEGO.

The reproductions can vary from eerily accurate to kitschy homages. Even some of Da Vinci's
students made their own versions of the famous painting.

So how far from the original artwork must a reproduction be in order to be classified as bad
taste?

Good taste or bad taste? Leonardo da Vinci (first picture) or Lego Mona Lisa (second picture)?

While this may not seem at first glance to be an issue, consider this: can a person with poor
taste make a valid aesthetic judgment? Depending on whether you believe that aesthetics is
subjective or objective, the answer will vary.

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4. The Narrow Aesthetic of Human Beauty

Is there any more contentious issue regarding aesthetics than that which defines human
beauty?

Each of these images in the interactive below present a perception of beauty through an artistic
lens and medium. They engage concepts of beauty, form, medium, and audience, as well as
how and what art and its subject(s) signifies.

Consider each of these images, as well as the words of the models, separately. Be methodical
and as objective, as possible. As you refer to details in the work, use the questions below to
guide how you engage with these images.
Activity No.1
1. What is the central subject of the image? Why do you think so?
2. What does this image appear to be saying about its subject?
3. How do constructed Western notions of beauty affect how you view the subjects?
4. What do the form, content, and context of the subject suggest about the systems or notions of
beauty that are being represented or resisted?
5. What do you believe to be the message of this image?
6. Is there something else that the photographer is trying to represent or capture beyond the
physical subject?
7. What is your personal sense experience of the image?
8. Does this object give you pleasure: if so, is that a function of its beauty; if not, is that a function
of its want of beauty?

“I was [asked by] my Uber driver the other day, he said,

‘Don’t take this offensive but if you were given ten
thousand dollars would you bleach your skin for that
amount? You won’t believe the kind of questions I get
and the kind of looks I get for having this skin.”

South Sudanese fashion model, Nyakim Gatwech,

known as the “Queen of Dark.”

“As soon as I sat down, the gentleman on my left began loudly

huffing, sighing, and readjusting himself in his seat. I see him
furiously texting and then purposefully turning the phone away
from me. So, naturally, next time he texts, I take a look. The texts
were about me and I’m almost positive he took photos of me. Not
only were they texts about me, but they were really mean and
ugly, with even the recipient named ‘Linda’ chiming back with
shaming retorts. “Hopefully she didn’t have any Mexican food,”
the recipient on the other end of the text messages wrote.
“I think she ate a Mexican,” the man wrote back.”

Model and positive body influencer, Natalie Hage, commenting

on how a fellow airline passenger tried to body-shame her.

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“I get really negative comments all the time, but the comments
that really bother me are the ones that question my character.
I try so hard to stay a positive role model. It's sad to say, but
you get used to it after a while, and I have a very thick skin,
so I can take it. I'm having fun; I'm being myself; I'm doing
what I love. That's all that matters."

CoverGirl’s first male spokesmodel, James Charles,

commenting on the Internet trolls who make negative
comments about males and wearing make-up.

Activity No. 2

“BIDA YOURSELF”
Create an infographic about yourself as a definition of beauty, show your hobbies, and
everything about you in a creative way.

Rubrics

The chosen subject depicts

Your Subject the essence of beauty 15%
(subjective or objective)
The creation of infographic
shows effort and creativity
Creativity and Effort 35%
by choosing right
and standard design.
The content shows a firm
judgement on how he/she
defines beauty in his chosen
Content and Context 50%
subject. Shows a clear and
organize thought on his
explanations.

References:

https://lah.elearningontario.ca/CMS/public/exported_courses/HZT4U/exported/HZT4UU05/HZ
T4UU05/HZT4UU05A01/_content.html#:~:text=Defining%20Aesthetics&text=Aesthetics%20i
s%20the%20philosophical%20study,the%20creation%2C%20of%20art%20works.

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