My Final Thoughts

As we wrap up this blog for the semester and our class, I feel like I should say something about what I've learned. I did not realize it, but before I took this class, I had no clue about anything to do with the artworld. This course has taught me a lot of interesting things to think about when it comes to art. I've pondered over whether art is an imitation of an imitation and over whether or not beauty is the promise of happiness. To be honest, I did not think the definition of what art is was so argued upon before this class. I leave this class no more sure of what is art, but I feel like I know reasons why art is so hard to pinpoint. I feel educated and can feel more right in saying that I'm a core member of the artworld.

Final Blog 02

1. Does this theory imply that we chose to be moved?
   I think the pretend theory does imply that we choose to be moved. If we accept all of the premises laid out in this weeks reading, then we are certainly led down the garden path into thinking so. Things rouse emotion in us involuntarily. Sometimes, I have played video games that were happy and light hearted and knew they were such, only to have them make me feel a little sad. There are even works of fiction that my friends are interested in that I do not have any knowledge about or watch that have roused feelings in me. I saw an animation of one of my friends' shows and I glanced at it and experienced emotion. I do not think that I was pretending to understand what was going on or pretending anything at all.

Final Blogs 01

1. Are there any works of fiction that might produce strong emotions other than quasi-emotions?
   I feel like that, on occasion, works of fiction might produce emotions stronger than quasi-emotions, but I don't think that they are entirely produced by the works of fiction themselves. I think that if there is a case when very strong emotions are displayed by a person after, for example, reading a book, the reader must have experienced a similar feeling before. In case like this, it's because the reader had a connection to the story and possibly reading the story triggered the memory, thus evoking the feeling. There are no particular works of fiction that could do this, because everyone is different and has different experiences.

Response to TA's final question

"Think back to the last time you played make-believe. Compare it to reading a book or enjoying some other narrative art-form. Are they completely the same? What are some similarities? Differences?"

I don't remember exactly the last time I played make-believe, but I think the differences between reading a book or experiencing some other narrative art-form is that make believe is more limited. When someone pretends something, that person is limited to what they can imagine. What a person can experience in a book is up to the author's imagination and own experiences. What an adult can make-believe is very different from what a child can imagine. A child does not know nearly as much as a seasoned adult. While there are those differences, I think the emotions can be similar. Sometimes when I think of stories that are sad, I can be overcome with as much emotion as a sad book I've read. But what I can pretend is limited to who I am as a person. Sometimes, I can read things that make me so uncomfortable and embarrassed, and I have trouble conjuring up the same feelings without the guide of text.

Week 10 Q&A02

"2. Does there need to be knowledge (content) in art?"

Good art should have some sort of content. In regards to imagination and creativity, it is all well and good if an artist successfully and masterfully created a work relying on their skill, but if there is no content, it does not have the same sort of meaning. Even the imagination and creativity should be based off of some prior knowledge and understanding, so even if there is no meaty content, there might be a little bit of content in regards to, for example, the brushstrokes. I think the content in the artwork, and by that I mean what its trying to communicate, is as important as the creativity executed in it and the imagination portrayed.

Week 10 Q&A 01

"1. Is it possible to imagine without any prior knowledge?"

I don't think it is possible to imagine anything without some sort of base knowledge. I believe that our imagination roots off of things we have already somewhat experienced. A person who cannot see color cannot fathom color unless they saw it once. We need certain knowledge in order to understand. A person who does not have the ability to smell cannot truly understand scent in a story. They might get the effect, but not fully. Our prior knowledge and experiences shape our imagination. If one can conceive of it, if there was a person who was unable to sense anything going on in the world around them, would they be able to imagine any thing at all? I don't know if they could imagine a fraction of what we imagine.

Nehamas - Beauty and Pregnancy

While writing my blogs this week, I was thinking about Nehamas' definition of beauty, how it can be applied to non-artifacts, and pregnancy. It is interesting to think of pregnancy in these terms. I've heard that each pregnancy is different from the other, and the mothers are surprised at what they learn from each one. I think therefore, beauty being the promise of happiness and everything, it could be applied to pregnancy. If no two are the same and there is a seemingly endless things to learn about it, then it is not a stretch to call it beautiful. Some might thing childbirth is disgusting, but "I might find beautiful what other find disgusting." (Nehamas). It does not carsickness have to be the same kind of beauty that we find attractive.

What are other human acts that could be beautiful?