LincolnDouglas Debate format: Planning Sheet

Affirmative: Constructive speech

Affirmative speaker 1: Joaquin
Despite popular belief that contemporary art is a mockery of the great works of
previous centuries, it is important to emphasize that art is a conceptual aesthetic
representation that is, and only is, in worls of art because it was conceptualized as such and
not as something else. Art is what the artist creates with the intention of making art, and it is
known to be so because it was declared as such for this reason, it was decided to discuss in
favor of this statement for although contemporary art is not often appreciated in view of
some experts who stay loyal to old for different reasons. The intention is to persuade the
reader to reconsider his criticism about it. Art has been rejected since ancient times when it
happened to drastically change style features that previously prevailed. For the same
reasons, art is repeatedly rejected today from the point of view of several spectators, the
style featured represents a lack of industriousness and complexity in comparison with other
important works in the history of art. That is why art complexity in addition to the old
acceptance and rejection of the new, two variables are analyzed below.

Negative: Questions for Affirmative side

Negative speaker 1: Definition Question
Affirmative speaker 2: Andrea
As a preamble, the definition of artwork, that Vlez manages to infer in his text
Aproximaciones a la Obra de Arte from several different meanings, shall first be partially
stated hereafter. The Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy has twelve meanings and
thousands more subentries that generally refer to the word work as a product. [...] A
product is what has come to an end, which cannot be changed again what is already and
can be no more." (2006, p. 2) Continuing in this way, adding meaning to the word until
fully relating it to another and establish his position, stating: "The Work is that final
product that cannot change, it is that of which we speak, comment, know ... in the world.
The work is an entity. [...] The work can be man himself. The work is not speculation, the
work is. The work does not refer to anything majestic, magnificent, sublime, beautiful or

divine, but what just is in the world. "(2006, p. 34) of art. This is an interesting approach
since, in general terms, art is often considered the product of deliberately arranging
elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions or simply, the product of mans
creative activities.
Now, the precise definition of art is limited by era and culture: it reflects and belongs
to theperiod and culture from which it is spawned. The concept itself has changed over
centuries. While it is acurate that art had formerly to conform to certain aesthetic rules in
order to be considered "true art. Cubism rocked the fine arts establishment to its
foundations [...] In its escape from its "Renaissance straitjacket", and all the associated rules
concerning "objectivity" (eg. on perspective, useable materials, content, composition, and so
on), fine art now boasted a significant element of "subjectivity". Artists suddenly found
themselves with far greater freedom to create paintings and sculpture according to their own
subjective values. (Encyclopedia of Art Online)

Negative. Constructive speech

Negative speaker 1:N/A
Negative: Refutation
Negative speaker 2: N/A
Affirmative: Questions for Negative side
Affirmative speaker 1: Joaquin
In addition to this, it should be stated that the complexity of the artwork does not increase
or decrease linearly over time. Between times, different factors influence an individuals
way to think and behave. As a result, an established own vision of reality, which artists
pretend to translate, is exposed. Contemporary artists deny the past and seek a new
expressive language based on a different view of reality, which they no longer imitate, but
interpret. (Arte Espaa, S. F., p.3). The desire to innovate and be unique is what leads
artists to experiment with new techniques, which has nothing to do with the degree of
complexity of the work itself. In this way, an artist becomes famous for his masterpieces,
which diferenciate him from the rest regardless of the degree of dificulty of the pieces

themselves, since in the arts world, it is worthier what evolves than what is repeated.
According to Fernandez, art is like the records: who first performs an important feat,
acquires more value (2007, p.4) What do you have to say about this?

Negative speaker 2: N/A

Affirmative: Rebuttal and/or refutation

Affirmative speaker 2: Andrea
In both previously mentioned texts, one can clearly acknowledge that the art or trash
qualification has nothing to do with the complexity of the piece. Vlez says that a work of
art does not have to be beautiful or majestic, given that the term refers merely to a final
product made, thought and announced as art. Arte Contemporneo, as well as in Qu es
arte y qu no? Algunas Consideraciones, reflect how a work of art has to do exclusevely
with the artists perspective rather than the viewers, as usually perceived.

Negative: Rebuttal
Negative speaker 1 (or 3): N/A
Negative: Summary
Negative speaker 2 (or 3): N/A
Affirmative: Rebuttal
Affirmative speaker 1: Joaquin
Leaving behind the complexity issue, to focus on the acceptance to the old and
rejection to the new, it is important to note that the debate whether a piece of art possesses
less or more value than its preceding has a long history. The main problem when a new
artistic movement emerges is that there is not enough historic hindsight, thus people tend to
disregard it (Fernndez, 2007). But this phenomenon of rejection to new is not only a
contemporary reaction. Many of the new artistic movements intended precisely to contrast

and differenciate from the previous. Paintings from several nowfamous artists from past
periods were harshly rejected then, Van Gohg and Picasso are great examples. This happens
because pieces are appreciated when their value is taught, except, when society does not
appraise it, neither does it make an effort to teach them, therefore, generating some kind of
vicious cycle.
Likewise and from a while ago, there has existed the debate whether something
should or should not be considered art. Nowadays, many wonder, specially, if a
contemporary artwork should gain this distinctive, and think that at the moment, any thing
is considered worthy. This is partly true, considering that art is what an artist creates with
the intention of doing so. The problem with these people is that they speak from their own
opinion and conception of what art is, and on their own perspective of what beauty is (Vlez,
2006) this way, rejecting new art because it does not fulfill such criteria. These spectators
hold on to traditional art because they are simply used to it. Hence, it is from this kind of art
that their art standards are born from. This action could lead them to not truly seeing what a
contemporary work of art really is.

Affirmative: Summary
Affirmative speaker 2: Andrea
Unfortunately, new art is naturally destined to have this problem: humans are
born choosers, and preference denotes love. Famous philosoper Ortega y Gasset says love
is an state of mental misery in which consciousness is narrowed, impoverished and
paralized. This can be used to explain that a person is never able to see things in their
nude reality When people love somtehing, their imagination proyects personal and
inexistent perfections where there is a lack of it. Often humans surprise themselves in
mistake from their previous choices and taste, consequence of the end of love. This aspect
could be an important factor that affects people who are rooted to the past.
From both angles, it is critical to emphasize that anything can be art, if it was in such
way conceptualized or intended to be so. But that does not mean that all artworks are
actually good. This is a crucial point because even though one can claim that an artwork does

not cease the status because it is more ore less complex, it is necessary to state that there
levels among art pieces: not every artwork is worth of appearing in belongs to a museum.
But that is a different dilemma.