Introduction:
Art as experience is the primary interest in regards to the essay by Dewey. Dewey's work seems to be an attempt develop the idea of art from that of an object to art as an experience. This transforms art into having a more personal relationship with the viewer. Art, in this sense, transcends the bounds of time and place in order to establish itself as an agent of change in regards to the viewer's perceptions of themselves and the world that they are a part of. In looking at the work of three artists, Manet, Monet, and Matisse, the representations that they portray can be seen to characterize the elevation of art as object to art as experience.
Work 1:
Édouard Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe, or The Luncheon on the Grass, depicts the artist's portrayal of a rural picnic in which two men are eating with a nude woman while another woman in the background bathes in robes. The work of art was controversial during its time and was originally turned away due to its female portrayals. It almost seems like a photograph due to the fact that the nude woman in the foreground is looking directly at the viewer. She seems to be the centerpiece of the picture. The two men are conversing normally as if nothing is odd about the gathering. The picture uses very flat paint with almost no shadows giving an almost dull or mundane feeling. Manet elevates his art from object to experience through the establishment of sexual and psychological elements within his work. He is able to establish his work in relation to the influence of the social considerations of his time through the creation of this work, which is done in a formal way, while at the same time, seems to break from various conventions (Wartenberg). The feelings of reality that are expressed within the painting seems to present the importance of the message that he is attempting to convey. In working with the natural setting mixed with the normal poses of the unassuming men that are depicted. In relation to Dewey's work, Manet's painting is able to contradict the assumptions of modern life in order to establish a new and interesting experience (Dewey).
Work 2:
Impression, Sunrsise by Claude Monet presents an emotionally driven portrayal of the artist's personal experiences. This painting depicts a sunrise at the port of Le Havre, which was Moet's hometown. In the foreground of the painting the artist depicts two men rowing boats over a red sun. There are also various other fishing boats as well, along with other patchy shapes that seem to dissolve into the background. There seems to be a mist settled on the harbor (Wartenberg). The expressionist nature of the painting, rather than being concerned with being considered beautiful or portraying an accurate image of what the artist saw, seems to be primarily concerned with expressing the feeling of the scene. The painting depicts the personal experiences of the artist himself. Rather than being primarily concerned with how others might interpret his work he attempts to personalize it with an emotional conception of the scene. The individual perceptions and experiences are transferred into the art's style. The dissolution of boundaries within the painting depicts the source of inspiration from which it was drawn and the growing ideas regarding aesthetics at the time. In relation to the work by Dewey, Monet's painting is able to express experience through the abstraction of his method (Dewey).
Work 3:
Le bonheur de vivre, or The Joy of Life, by Henrr Matisse, is an incredibly stylistic portrayal of nude bodies in bright, vivid colors. These bodies are scattered about a natural setting in an organic way. Their positions and contorted figures seem to express an abstract sexuality. A group of people that seem to be dancing in the background indicates that this is likely some type of celebration (Wartenberg). The relationship between celebration, sexuality, and nudity that is depicted seems to be, at heart, inspired by notions of individual pride and social disconnectedness. Matisse is able to express the experiences of those being depicted within his painting through the natural selection of colors, shapes, and motion. The positions and gestures of those in the painting seem to express the underlying sexual nature of humanity within the personalized relationships that are apparent. The celebratory aspects of the painting challenges the preconceived social boundaries of his time in order to transform art from object into experience (Dewey).
Conclusion:
In looking at these three works of art in relation to Dewey's theory of art as experience it is evident that art has evolved from being objective depictions of events to subjective portrayals of events how the artists emotionally encountered them. In this sense, rather than being primarily concerned with communicating objects in time and space to communicating the experiences associated with specific contexts of understanding. In changing their orientations from a process of creating objects to creating emotional experiences these artists fundamentally transformed the nature of art.
Works Cited
Dewey, John. Art as Experience. Penguin. 2005. Print.
Wartenberg, .Thomas E. The Nature of Art: An Anthology. Wadsworth Publishing; 3 edition. 2011. Print.
