Defining art is a controversial topic in contemporary philosophy. Even the philosophical usefulness of the explanation of the word ‘art” is debated many times. Defining art and its components have been attempted various times. There are contemporary definitions, traditional definitions, conventional definitions, historical definitions and functional definitions, but the actual question remains the same, whether art can be defined precisely or not? The answer may vary individual to individual. The paper discusses if having a precise definition of art will make a real difference in the art world. (The Definition of Art 2014).
The question “what is art?” has been described by Thomas McEvilley, well-known professor of the subject art history as, art is art when it is written about in art magazines, displayed in a museum or bought by people for their personal collection. Can we really consider this as a something which is defining art? Many say that art cannot be labeled or described precisely because there is no unique feature that can be found common if we compare different art forms. Most of the time art predictors recreate reality in their style using images, colors and unique brush strokes. Understanding the exact procedure would need definite guidelines to master different of art forms which are possible when there is any definition about it telling us what to keep in mind and what not to. Ayn Rand deserves credit for being different regarding trending away from essentialist, or analytical definitions for being firm on the need for a precise definition with respect to art. In the first half of the twentieth century, precise definition of art and rules governing its construction were common in the intellectual dialogues (Torres & Kamhi 7). The question arises if there a process one can follow to define art? The answer is yes, As written in Encyclopedia Britannica in order to describe a word ( definition)there are set principles and rules one must follow like the word must have a genus and differentia, an explanation should neither be too long or too short, should tell about all the elements associated with it and should not be vague or ambiguous. This way It would be easy to distinguish and classify a form of art by set guidelines associated with a form of art. When somebody explains art, he/she looks at it from their own perspective, what the art piece means to them, but when we have a precise definition we have definite and exact meanings which can be related and understood by a larger group. When we define a word we are not giving the meaning to the word but we are explaining a concept too. A concept which is different from other concepts. Having a definition would to identify factors which are common or unusual to paintings.
Kenneth M. Lansing in his book Art, Artists, and Art Education gave a definition “Art as the skillful presentation of concepts and/or emotions (ideas and feelings) in a form that is structurally (compositionally) satisfying and coherent” (Lansing 2004). It should be noted that learning art compositions, techniques involved has no meaning if there are no distinguishing characteristics that an artwork must have. Without an exact description, how will students know if they need to use any particular information or skill? Clearly there are vital parts other than, skill required, composition chosen which go into teaching and learning of various art forms. All the points discussed state that having a precise definition of art would make much difference in the art world as it will help art learners to develop their own ideas in sync with methodology and skills required, giving a proper understanding of it, not being formless and controversial anymore. Art is subjective in nature and holds a different meaning for different creators of art and its viewers. It would be difficult to give it a certain shade with a precise definition.
Works Cited
Lansing, Kenneth M." Why We Need a Definition of Art.” aristos. 2004. Web. 2 April. 2016.
"The Definition of Art." The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2014. Web. 2 April. 2016.
Torres & Kamhi. "The Definition of Art." What Art Is:The Esthetic Theory of Ayn Rand, ch. 6 1.1 (n.d): 1-21. Print.
