Art and Aesthetics

What is Art?
What a good definition would look like?
For Philosophers committed to the enterprise of defining art, the holy grail would be a set of
conditions, each of them individually necessary for art and all of them taken together, jointly
sufficient for it. Necessary conditions in this regard refer to the minimal set of characteristics or
features that must be present in order for something to be considered art. In other words, without
these conditions, something cannot be classified as art. For example, creativity, aesthetic qualities,
and intentionality are often cited as necessary conditions for art.
Sufficient conditions, on the other hand, refer to the complete set of characteristics or features that,
if present, are enough to classify something as art. In other words, if these conditions are met, then
something can be classified as art without any further analysis. For example, if an object is
aesthetically pleasing, expresses a creative idea, and is intentionally created as art, then it can be
considered art.
Therefore, philosophers bent on defining art aim to say, at least what all art works have in common
and perhaps, more ambitiously, what differentiates art from all other things as well.
It's worth noting that there is often overlap between necessary and sufficient conditions, and
different philosophers may have different opinions on what criteria are necessary or sufficient for
something to be considered art. Additionally, the use of necessary and sufficient conditions is just
one approach to defining art, and there may be other ways to approach the concept that do not rely
on these criteria.
A further constraint usually endorsed upon any definition of art is that it must be in tune with
widespread current art-historical and critical practice. This is called the critical practice constraint.
The critical practice constraint is often associated with the philosopher Arthur Danto, who argued
that a work of art is defined not by its inherent qualities or properties, but by the context in which it
is presented and interpreted. According to Danto, a work of art is only "art" when it is presented
within the context of the art world and is recognized as such by artists, critics, and audiences. This
emphasis on context and interpretation is a key aspect of the critical practice constraint.
Challenges faced by a would-be definer of art
1. Diversity of art forms: Art can take many different forms, from painting and sculpture to
literature, music, film, and performance art. Defining art in a way that encompasses all of
these diverse forms can be difficult, and some definitions may be more suited to certain
forms of art than others. If one’s focus is on the perceptible and the manifest properties of
such works, as experienced, as experienced by a viewer or listener engaged with them, it
already is difficult to find properties common to all of these objects. After all, they cross
sense modalities (vision, hearing, touch), media (canvas, marble, paper), and systems of
representation (written language, musical notation, depiction)
2. Historical and Cultural Context: The definition of art can be shaped by the historical and
cultural context in which it is created and interpreted. This means that what is considered
art in one culture or time period may not be the same as what is considered art in another
culture or time period. In 20th century there was an explosion in the development of new art
form, and movements considered important by the artistic community. The base for the
development of these new forms was partly technological development/advancement
(Photography and cinema) and partly they were driven by the epiphany/information that the
already existing ‘canon’ art is prejudicial and devalues the experience of women and people
of colour. (eg from the binder)
3. Changing nature of art: Art is not a static concept, and the nature of art can change over
time as new forms of art emerge and artistic practices evolve. This means that any definition
of art may need to be updated or revised over time. Most of the art that developed in the
20th century was driven by avant-garde. That is, artists often sought self consciously to
develop artistic objects that would act as counter examples to the already existing dominant
artistic traditions. This was developed as a way to reject the dominating views in the nature
of the art form in the status quo. For examples, mass-produced ready-mades were
presented as artworks as a reaction to the concept or the idea of an artist as highly skilled
artisan. Conceptual art <-> artwork must be a perceptible material object. Atonal music was
a rejection of historically dominant western norms governing classical music composition.
From manifest to non-manifest properties
Manifest properties are those that are directly perceptible i.e., observable and measurable
through sensory experience, such as colour, shape, texture, and size. These are the properties
that we can detect with our senses or through measurement instruments. For example, if we
look at an apple, its colour, size, shape, and texture are all manifest properties.
On the other hand, non-manifest properties are those that are not directly perceptible i.e.,
observable and cannot be measured through sensory experience. Many relational properties fall
in this category. For instance, Diya is from Shimla.
Manifest properties in the context of art refer to the observable, tangible, and measurable
features of a work of art. These properties can include things like the colour, texture, size, and
shape of an artwork. Non-manifest properties in the context of art refer to the intangible,
abstract, and subjective aspects of a work of art. These properties are not immediately
observable and can include things like the emotions, ideas, or cultural meanings that the artwork
conveys.
In the past, would-be definers of art have concentrated on trying to define art in terms of
conditions pertaining to manifest properties. This is perfectly understandable, given the
traditionally privileged relationship b/w art and the senses. Now non manifest.

Art and Aesthetics

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Art and Aesthetics

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What is Art?

What a good definition would look like?

Challenges faced by a would-be definer of art

From manifest to non-manifest properties

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