School: Sacred Heart Greenwich

Grace Paletta

Phone: 914-519-8709

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School: Sacred Heart Greenwich

Grade: 12

Grace Paletta lives in Greenwich, CT and attends Sacred Heart. She is in 12th grade. This year she is taking her first class in philosophy. Her favorite class this year is Art History, which inspired her to write on this subject. She loves seeing how different cultures appreciate various forms of art. She hopes to eventually get a degree in art history and work in a museum as an art collector.

Art is beyond a box

Art is found in many forms. It is found on display and in our daily lives. It is seen and felt, heard and tasted. Art can be anything but not anything can be art. The definition of art is unique to the viewer and therefore primarily subjective. Beautiful art is that which forms a relationship with its observer. There is an attraction between the two that draws emotion and thought. Art is most powerful when it contains multiple layers that stretch beyond the five senses. This power is why such unconventional works are praised for their artistic vision. People see a pile of sticks in a museum and wonder how it can be defined as art. Yet what one person sees as a pile of sticks, another sees a metaphor for strength and numbers. It is for that reason that art is defined uniquely for each individual, and is only beautiful when it creates a relationship with its viewer.

Art is beyond consensus. Its potential is infinite and therefore beyond the confinement of one single definition.Art changes with times and personalities. Different cultures praise different art because beauty is completely in the eye of the beholder. Morris Weitz, author of The Role of Theory in Aesthetics states “each age, each art-movement, each philosophy of art, tries over and over again to establish the stated ideal only to be succeeded by a new or revised theory, rooted, at least in part, in the repudiation of preceding ones” (Weitz, p. 27). Weitz is speaking to the boundlessness of art. Trying to create a standard, or putting beauty into words will never capture the dynamic essence of a work. Putting art into a box constricts its potential. Unfortunately, as times begin to modernize and humans desire more control, art becomes subject to social manipulation.

Recently, media has begun to controlone’s opinion of beauty. Media praises the things that they find beautiful and in turn, society believes they should find it beautiful as well. There are countless sources of influence that are shoved into the public’s faces. There are billboards covered with models that praise a certain standard of physical beauty. There are award ceremonies that celebrate only the most popular songs and films. Artists become celebrities and suddenly people are too busy praising the artist to truly judge the art. Even museums, who are supposed to protect and preserve art of every genre, become a source of manipulation. People are convinced that an object is art solely based on its placement in a prestigious building. Individuality is completely lost and art is in turn placed in a box. Ezra Pound satirized this human condition in his poem L’Art, 1910;

Green arsenic smeared on an egg-white cloth,

Crushed strawberries! Come, let us feast our eyes.

Pound is commenting on the sad standard of beauty that has resulted from society’s corruption. Here, a crowd is praising a clearly outrageous painting. Pound suggests that true physical beauty is no longer distinguished because opinions are no longer individualized.

There needs to be a shift back to the subjective method of observation. Subjectivity commonly has a negative connotation. People are under the belief that it is too opinionated and therefore void of true judgment. Yet judgment of beautiful art is supposed to be a personal experience. There are countless perceptions in the world and countless ways to perceive a work of art and therefore no one interpretation should be designated the truest judgment. Art has layers, because a personal connection requires a depth that is beyond one dimension. Whether there is physical beauty or not, things can still be art so long as they are thought provoking and honest. Art is commonly a form of expression and is supposed to draw emotions from its viewers. The extent of those emotions does not have a limit. Philosopher Oliver Leaman said “[art] produces different effects on different people” which may suggest that it “is irretrievably subjective in nature”. The merit of art is completely based on the individual.There are no rules to how one is supposed to see a painting or hear a song. Each reaction is unique and does not require the same perspective as another. Art is exciting because for each person, it is unexplored territory. Upon observing the work, one has the freedom to embracetheir own personal relationship.

Art is far more complex than superficial beauty. These personal relationships are more meaningful than the appearance of an object. That very fact is hard for many to grasp, because commonly the judge of beauty is one-dimensional. Yet physical appeal is far easier to achieve that psychic appeal. The fine line between the two can also distinguish a true artist from an ordinary person. Artists have the ability to create a personalized experience. They are far more concerned with implications as opposed to looks. An artist must be truthful and steer from public opinion of beauty. There is a story from the Ancient Greek culture that Polykleitos, a renowned sculptor of the time, made two sculptures. One of them “would be pleasing to the crowd” while the other was “according to the principles of his art” (Kleiner, p. 129). When both were finished, the people marveled at one but were repulsed by the other. Polykleitos said to them, “the one you find fault with you made yourselves; while the one that you marvel at, I made” (Kleiner, p. 129). This anecdote distinguishes Polykleitos as a true artist because he was able to create true art in spite of the publics conflicting standards of beauty. Art and artists do not necessarily conform. They reveal truths and find ways to entice viewers unconventionally.

Art is extremely powerful and far beyond words. Art has been treasured since the Stone Ages and is an integral part to any culture. It has brought people together and provided a physical history of our earth. There can be no limitation to what art is, nor can good feeling and physical attraction solely define beauty. Art is beautiful when it is a personal experience rather than a general opinion. From sculptures to paintings to music and film, art must be treasured and free from constraints to allow the relationship between viewer and the work to form.

Works Cited

Kleiner, Fred.Gardner's Art through the Ages. Place of Publication Not Identified, Wadsworth, 2015.

“L'Art, 1910.” Poem: L'Art, 1910 by Ezra Pound, poetrynook.com/poem/lart-1910.

Leaman, Oliver. “I'm Wondering about the Interaction of a Viewer with a Piece of Art. Beyond a Basic Psychological Response of ‘I like It’ or Even a Highly-Reasoned Critique, Is There Anything about Art Which Spurs the Viewer to Do Anything, to Take Any Action? I Suppose I'm Asking about Our Response to Art. Can You Qualify a 'Good' Piece of Art as One Which Produces a Certain Response in a Person?” Questions | AskPhilosophers.org,

Weitz, Morris. “The Role of Theory in Aesthetics.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 15, no. 1, 1956, pp. 27–35.