AESTHETICS

Discuss these questions to clarify your ideas about some basic issues in the arts, then write a report
summarising your thoughts.
1. How would you define and distinguish between these terms?
art the arts a work of art artistic beautiful beauty
2. A tree growing naturally in a forest, or a rock face eroded by the weather, would not normally be considered to be art!,
would it? "hy not?
#. $here are many cases of paintings which, ha%ing been belie%ed for many years to be the work of famous artists, are
shown to be forgeries. "hen this happens they are remo%ed from the galleries and people lose interest in them& they
cease to be art!. 'ut in many cases only e(perts can tell that they are not genuine, and up to that moment people
en)oyed looking at them. "hy do they suddenly lose their appeal?
*. A painting by +icasso, consisting of )ust a few red and green blobs, is worth se%eral million dollars and is greatly
admired. A similar painting painted by me is worth nothing. "hy?
,. -ami says .ap music is really cool/!. $omi says 0t sucks big time/! Are they really disagreeing? 1r is the situation
the same as when $iina says 0 adore white chocolate/! and $ui)a says 0 detest white chocolate/!? 0n the latter case it2s
hard to see where any real disagreement e(ists, and further discussion seems pointless 3 $iina is hardly going to
persuade $ui)a that white chocolate is delicious )ust through argument/ 0s the situation the same in discussions about the
arts, then?
AESTHETICS
Discuss these questions to clarify your ideas about some basic issues in the arts, then write a report
summarising your thoughts.
1. How would you define and distinguish between these terms?
art the arts a work of art artistic beautiful beauty
2. A tree growing naturally in a forest, or a rock face eroded by the weather, would not normally be considered to be art!,
would it? "hy not?
#. $here are many cases of paintings which, ha%ing been belie%ed for many years to be the work of famous artists, are
shown to be forgeries. "hen this happens they are remo%ed from the galleries and people lose interest in them& they
cease to be art!. 'ut in many cases only e(perts can tell that they are not genuine, and up to that moment people
en)oyed looking at them. "hy do they suddenly lose their appeal?
*. A painting by +icasso, consisting of )ust a few red and green blobs, is worth se%eral million dollars and is greatly
admired. A similar painting painted by me is worth nothing. "hy?
,. -ami says .ap music is really cool/!. $omi says 0t sucks big time/! Are they really disagreeing? 1r is the situation
the same as when $iina says 0 adore white chocolate/! and $ui)a says 0 detest white chocolate/!? 0n the latter case it2s
hard to see where any real disagreement e(ists, and further discussion seems pointless 3 $iina is hardly going to
persuade $ui)a that white chocolate is delicious )ust through argument/ 0s the situation the same in discussions about the
arts, then?