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alyssa_s10's review
informative
medium-paced
3.0
I reread this for my ABC book challenge. It was a pretty interesting read. I found the connection to psychology in chapter six pretty neat as I did not expect it.
wartortois's review
4.0
I was required to read this book for a class I had no interest in taking. Art theory is something that confuses me immensely. Freeland managed to "dumb it down" for her reader, and although the things she discusses in her book are complex, they still make sense to the non-creative type (like myself)
o88's review
3.0
This book examines the diversity of art and its relevance in the world. Chapters 2 and 6 were interesting as she examined art broadly and historically and the ways in which it's interpreted by theorists and critics. The rest of the book is mostly filler, but it does provide a comprehensive look at how art is an essential part of the social fabric of society. She expresses how human beings are storytellers and creators while echoing philosopher John Dewey's sentiments that art is the best way to understand culture around the world.
On art interpretation, she touches on expression and cognitive theory. Expression theory is the realm of feelings and emotions. Cognitive theory is the intellectual realm of complex thoughts. Both theories hold that art is a means of communication, and that meaning can be derived from context. She explains that a good interpretation must be grounded in reason and evidence, and should provide a rich, complex, and illuminating way to comprehend a work of art. She goes on to say that an interpretation can even transform an experience of art from repugnance to appreciation and understanding. Art theorists draw on philosophy, anthropology, sociology, psychology, etc so it is a full cognitive enterprise to understand and appreciate art.
Lastly, I just wanted to touch upon controversial art which she examines in Chapter 1 as a test to see if she can scare you off or not. She writes:
“Art includes not just works of formal beauty to be enjoyed by people with ‘taste’, or works with beauty and uplifting moral messages, but also works that are ugly and disturbing, with a shatteringly negative moral content”
People who make disturbing, blasphemous, and controversial art via shock value to grab people’s attention reminds me of stand-up comedians, reality TV stars, politicians, etc who do whatever they need to do in order to be in the front of the conversation. They hide behind the guise of being a free spirited and free thinking artist to justify the most repulsive content. In my opinion, art like that is trash (with some exceptions). I think a degree of grace and decency is essential in all works of art otherwise the moral values of a society are threatened. I understand that progressive ideas will rattle some people, but there needs to be a sense of dignity in art otherwise the message will never be taken seriously. Also, you should be able to tackle dark things without getting lost in some form of moral nihilism; there are just way too many cowards and pessimists in the art world. Some of the more repugnant artists contribute nothing of value to humanity and are often times just crying out for help.
All in all, this book is a decent primer, but further reading and exploration is needed. Artistic exploration and creativity is more enjoyable than critical analysis, but it may lead to a greater appreciation of art while deepening a personal philosophy as a creative so it's worth a look.
3/5
On art interpretation, she touches on expression and cognitive theory. Expression theory is the realm of feelings and emotions. Cognitive theory is the intellectual realm of complex thoughts. Both theories hold that art is a means of communication, and that meaning can be derived from context. She explains that a good interpretation must be grounded in reason and evidence, and should provide a rich, complex, and illuminating way to comprehend a work of art. She goes on to say that an interpretation can even transform an experience of art from repugnance to appreciation and understanding. Art theorists draw on philosophy, anthropology, sociology, psychology, etc so it is a full cognitive enterprise to understand and appreciate art.
Lastly, I just wanted to touch upon controversial art which she examines in Chapter 1 as a test to see if she can scare you off or not. She writes:
“Art includes not just works of formal beauty to be enjoyed by people with ‘taste’, or works with beauty and uplifting moral messages, but also works that are ugly and disturbing, with a shatteringly negative moral content”
People who make disturbing, blasphemous, and controversial art via shock value to grab people’s attention reminds me of stand-up comedians, reality TV stars, politicians, etc who do whatever they need to do in order to be in the front of the conversation. They hide behind the guise of being a free spirited and free thinking artist to justify the most repulsive content. In my opinion, art like that is trash (with some exceptions). I think a degree of grace and decency is essential in all works of art otherwise the moral values of a society are threatened. I understand that progressive ideas will rattle some people, but there needs to be a sense of dignity in art otherwise the message will never be taken seriously. Also, you should be able to tackle dark things without getting lost in some form of moral nihilism; there are just way too many cowards and pessimists in the art world. Some of the more repugnant artists contribute nothing of value to humanity and are often times just crying out for help.
All in all, this book is a decent primer, but further reading and exploration is needed. Artistic exploration and creativity is more enjoyable than critical analysis, but it may lead to a greater appreciation of art while deepening a personal philosophy as a creative so it's worth a look.
3/5
sasuma's review
3.0
I wish I'd read this book earlier on my course, since it is a very entry-level book about art theory. A lot of the speculations of the effects of digitization on art are now of course out of date, but there is a very clear passage about Baudrillard I found useful. Overall, clarity is the strong point of this book in every chapter.
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