This final post will offer an overview of the trends in 20th and 21st century aesthetic thought. As will become apparent the past century and our brief movement into the present century have been eras of great uncertainty and diversity. Yet the diversity is a reminder that the entire history of aesthetics is diverse and that any single artist can hold multiple views.
In the Interwar era (1919-1939) three general aesthetic outlooks arose and have been identified in the acronym "CUT": Critical, Utopian and Transcendental. Each of these broad views are rooted in the myriad ideas that begin with Nietzsche and others and which I have sketched out below. Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth can both be understood as holding all three "CUT"views at the same time in their art. Others, such as Georgia O'Keefe were more transcendent tending to shy away from the more critical and Utopian nuances one finds in Hopper or Wyeth. Decidedly Utopian views are seen in Russian Socialist art which promoted the contradictory ideals of a new and perfect social order. The "CUT" application to individual artists is presented in Brenden Prendeville's book -- "Realism in 20th Century Painting" published in 2000.
In any case it is important to remember that human beings are capable of holding layered views of reality rather than simple, singular or simplistic worldviews. Reality is complex and even contradictory and aesthetic thought must express this complexity in layered and nuanced ways. I hope the overview that follows will offer some clarity and insight into the rich range of ideas that follow us into our own era and assist each of us in identifying and modifying and layering our aesthetic worldviews and aesthetic road maps.
To begin with, the last breath of the 19th century seems to have been breathed with Nietzsche who believed that the ideals of art as offering solace and harmony for the mind and spirit were doomed. He felt that art and its role in promoting existence was at an end and that human history was headed toward catastrophe and crises. His concern was manifested in WWI. The one redeeming idea that Nietzsche held onto was that art allowed for expression of inner emotion and here he agreed in part with Aristotle who saw the cathartic release that art could provide humanity in the face of tragedy.
Other thinkers of the age were not as pessimistic as Nietzsche. For instance Richard Wagner the great German composer encouraged a return to the Romantic view of art as a celebration of human life as part of the fruitful embracing of nature with a strong emotional outpouring of passion. His views though formulated in the late 19th century resonated into the 20th. Hitler for instance idolized Wagner who thought of art as a means of escape from reality and wanted to create events that would merge all of the arts into a grand spectacle of opera, art, myth, drama etc.; events that would last for days at a time and which would require retreating from daily life to enter such powerful escape mechanisms.
Hitler made use of this Wagnerian ideal in his grand spectacles of military power with thousands of Nazi soldiers, drummers and flags fluttering over acres of paved power formations. Wagner's dream of a grand spectacle was achieved only in opera but even on stage it was never on the scale and for the several days at a time duration he envisioned. Modern film and the Mega-plex screen experience or hyper-rock concerts approach some of Wagner's dream of art as vast spectacle but only years later, long after his death.
Other views of the eras include Schopenhauer who saw paradox in the blind striving for purpose in the face of the loss of reason for existence spoken of by Nietzsche. Later after the First World War ended numerous politically related aesthetic theories appeared. Some were Marxist views with art used to criticize culture and the idea that art should be bought and sold considered a loss of power for art. Another set of theories known as "Critical Theory" arose championed by Adorno and other German thinkers who saw art as less Marxist but critical in its reaction against cultural excess, in particular American materialism, commercialism and mass advertising. Art as criticism was reactive and had little to do with self expression. Its aim was broadly social not individualistic.Adorno and the Critical thinkers were reacting also to a strong current of Hedonistic Pessimism in Europe that artists such as Beardsley and Oscar Wilde had promoted at the end of the 19th century.
Instead of a critical response other thinkers argued for a return to Platonic contemplation, a good example of this more reflective approach would be Santayana. Comte another of the key thinkers of the early 20th century took a more organic approach and described art as a product of human conditioning which had its ties to Darwin who considered beauty as an evolutionary device for the survival of the fittest.
In America there was a more robust view of art at the beginning of the century with Walt Whitman's idea of art as a kind of joyful labor and profitable joy with strains of a return to a Medieval love of craft as inspired labor. This was close to an art for art sake idea but it stressed the practical use of craft in service to the needs of others as in building a solid house or painting a good sign for direction. The American view of aesthetics was more pragmatic and practical in contrast to the European art for art sake mentality. This is why the "Art and Craft Movement" took root in the United States in the 20th century following its advent in England in the mid-19th century.
This pragmatic tendency seems to still hold in our country and why craftsmanship in art is still admired in our country by many. Taine although not an American advocated aesthetic views related to this pragmatic approach when he claimed that art is a product of the environment. In Russia Leo Tolstoy's view of art as a form of social communication with Naturalistic overtones was closely related to the American Pragmatic view and later American writers and social critics such as John Steinbeck would eulogize the laborer and crafts person along with a return to nature. The Hippie movement in America grew out of such views. What both America and Russia had in common were strong social visions of art. We can see this in Tolstoy, Steinbeck and the Communal oriented Hippies. Not surprising a Cold War would erupt between the two world powers over differing views of how cultivating culture should be carried out.
In Italy in the late 1920's a philosopher named Croce offered a view of art as a lyrical intuition ie. instant knowledge. Artist's like Dali who advocated dreams and intuitive thinking helped to make Croce's views widely accepted internationally but the downside of his view was that it made little of the crafting of a physical object which we call a work of art. It was as if he saw art as a process of contemplation with Platonic overtones or dream-states of mind. Where was Aristotle and the engagement with the physical process one would ask of Croce?
John Dewey in America seems to have offered a challenge to Croce. In the 1930's Dewey stressed a non-dualistic view of art as less intuition and more as pragmatic interaction with the real object and the natural environment and ones surrounding society. John Steinbeck another American in tune with Dewey, saw moral and ethical uses for art close to Aristotle along with other thinkers in history who promoted meaning in art and life. These views were a direct challenge to the nihilism of Nietzsche and to the "art for art sake" alone mentality more prevalent in Europe at the time.
In England in the 1940's Herbert Read followed Karl Jung and Dilthey in stressing the healing potential of art for the individual and society at large. Related to the curative views of art in a psychological sense came the Phenomenological views of thinkers such as Maurice Merleau Ponty and Mikel Dufrenne whose ideas gained currency in the 1950's and 60's and again are presently much in favor by 21st century thinkers.
At Northwestern University in Illinois there is an entire department devoted to the study of Phenomenology with courses offered on thinkers such as Ponty and Dufrenne. Here the view is that art manifests the complex inner working of sense and cognitive operations in human awareness. They see art as offering a way in which humankind can find greater understanding of the rich and diverse ways in which consciousness works. Through the study and practice of the arts there can be a renewed engagement with nature, awareness of diverse kinds of beauty and concern for making society more responsive and wise overall.
In the most recent years within Phenomenology one can see a renewed interest in moral issues having to do with personal freedom, gender issues and many other social themes. Along with these inquiries there has been a renewed interest in spiritual aspects of the arts along redemptive Renaissance lines.
A number of international Colleges such as Laguna College of Art and Design or the Florence Academy now offer a strong advocacy toward beauty using time-tested Renaissance and Academically traditional approaches to art making. There is presently a noticeable move back to beauty in art and figurative practices that celebrate nature and craft traditions in the practices of the arts. Many art schools, music schools and the like are being built and there is an international movement to open art museums or to remodel and update them. All of the Arts, concert halls and museums are seen increasingly as existing as a balm for social well-being with pragmatic and spiritual overtones. Aesthetics is always on the move like the consciousness that drives thinking, acting and making things new.
Arvo Part the Estonian composer for instance, exemplifies a bridging of the best of past and present aesthetics in his musical inventiveness with its spiritual, natural and humane synthesis. He is one of a number of thoughtful integrators of artistic practice we can learn from who are at work in our present time. Other examples include: Chuck Close, Bob Dylan, the recently deceased Andrew Wyeth and many others in the related arts of theater and film. These ardent artistic practitioners prove that art continues to edify those who seek to be edified by it.
17 comments:
Walt Whitman's idea of art as a kind of joyful labor and profitable joy is something I feel as though I can really relate to. I don't think this love and passion for art is shared by everyone and in any occupation you are in it seems you need to be happy about what you are doing. Oscar Wilde however seemed as though he had a whole different thought process going on when it came to art. He felt that art was to pass time and to escape the world's reality. I feel like the perfect combination of an artist would be to combine the thoughts of Whitman with the thoughts of Wilde. In this it would result in an artist who could escape reality, be happy, do what he or she loves, and get paid well for it!
i think i can relate to almost all these views or trends of art from the 20th &21st century, nietzches view and concern that art offering solace for the mind was coming to an end, Wagners idea of art celebrating humanity,and art for arts sake are all valid and and insightful in many ways i think that many artists would agree that art is all of these things and more
I am of Walt Whitman's view towards art, in that I think it is a labor of love, and a profitable one at that. I draw everyday, and more often than not I am drawing for other people. There is hardship in drawing ideas that are not my own, but I find some satisfaction in making a client happy with the outcome or finding a visual solution to a verbal description. Turning other's ideas and translating them with my skills as a renderer. Delightful.
Wow, thats alot to take in. its appearent that art follows the movement of time and the great thinkers of the past. It also emposizes the power the times have and how important it is to learn from the masters or at least acknolage the work because an artist influence can and will be preasent in todays art. I know in some way a well rounded artist should consiter all kinds of insite and talent the past has to offer. As artist , we can only be doing ourselves a favor to stay open to all sorts of knolage and inspiration. With talent come the resposiblity to learn all we can ,from all sorts of experences in life, and to never give up that openess to ego. We will only stop learning once we are placed six feet under. Thank you , I have really learned the importance of learning throughout this corse, Nicole Williams.
I agree with Walt Whitman's idea's about how art can be a joyful labor that is also profitable and functional. I think this also falls in line with what Dewey says about moral and ethical uses for art as well as helping viewers to contemplate the meaning in art and life. As well as Herbert Read's ideas on the healing potential of art for the individual and society. I think art can be something done purely for the artist own state of mind but it can also play a role in society to also calm and enlighten those who look at art as well as make it.
Its interesting to see the forsight Nietzche had on the state of human spirit. He thought that art was not achieving the emotional release as it previously had and knew that somehow this would manifest into society as it did with WWI. This notion shows how close art of the times relates to a society of the time. As we talk about Wagner and his beliefs that art is to give you an otherworldly experience is something I agree with. Art should allow you to transcend and think about things other than what you are normally faced with on a day to day basis. This fantastic factor of art engulfs the viewer in the moment or even days as Wagner wanted. Suffice to say not all art does this for example the art of the Dutch Golden Age very much brings forth everyday items and scenes but even then they add symbolism and views outside of what is seen directly in paintings. The comparison between Wagners dream of art and contemporary Rock shows or any intense musical event is quite fitting. When you are at these kind of events you aren't thinking about what groceries you have to pick up, but are presently captivated by the performance you are witnessing.
Leo Tolstoy's view of art as a form of social communication is something I agree on. Maybe that's because of my interest in graphic design, but I don't think that matters.
Art is a form of communication between individuals, groups, and even countries. It relays emotions, visions and sometimes even nightmares. Even though we may be raised differently or be born on different sides of the Earth, a great work of art still can touch us and relay a message.
This is hard to comment on because there's so much in it. I'd have to say that so far Nietzsche seems to have been wrong about everything, God isn't dead and the world didn't end, human life is still just as much about catastrophe and crisis as it's always been but not really worse than before. It is depressing how many modern theories of art are almost entirely negative. I'd like to judge each theory of art based on the kind of artists it produced and how they lived their lives. I'm still holding out for the one that leads to amazing artwork and artist who is satisfied at the end of his life instead of depressed or destroyed.
I was very interested in the study done on Phrenomenology at Northwestern U. There is a more scientific view of art that I find intriguing since I tend to be more left-brain.
What I also agree with is they believe "through the study and practice of the arts there can be a renewed engagement with nature, awareness of diverse kinds of beauty and concern for making society more responsive and wise overall." I definitely notice that I am more observant now, picking up on a little details that I would've originally overlooked. I agree that these aesthetic experiences make me reflect more on society and humanity.
Its cool to think that Wagner had envisioned the multi day music and art spectacle, it never ceases to surprise me of how some people are so far ahead of their time that it takes the whole population multiple generations to catch up with the initial ideas. I wonder what great artists intentions are being ignored today because we are simply not ready for it yet? I went to go see Moby perform last year and it is incredible the amount of preparation and different layers of artistic expression that go into producing one event. The part of that particular concert that I will always remember is how well the music was fused into the giant display screens that were flashing symbols, that to me seemed to be telling a story of divine creation through its use of geometric symbols. I have been studying the golden mean, the relationships between numbers and the historical meaning of the shapes identified with each number. To see this level of understanding be carried out in a concert plus have an insightful story subtlety embedded into the performance was such a remarkable experience that definitely made an impression of how art that takes one to another place and still allows us to feel it through all our senses can have such a positive effect on ones spiritual well being so that one comes out of it inspired and willing to share a sense of our humanity through art.
This was a lot to process! I definitely agree with Ponty and Dufrenne on how the arts can renew engagement with nature and still maintain social awareness.
I think that the return toward beauty through Academically traditional approaches is great for learning the technical process of representational art making, but I don't accept it as end in itself. I see this movement as an attempt to reinvent the wheel, or I guess it would fall into the art for art's sake category.
I really appreciate the aesthetic properties that came about during the interwar period, as I think it encompasses most of what art tries to achieve. It seems like every aesthetic theory holds some validity and really speaks to how complicated and impossible it is to really pinpoint art and aesthetics. I feel that the best solution is to always maintain an open mind.
fikriye ozmeral gibson
great read also a lot to dwell on . i agree with almost everything i have read . personally i find andrew wyeth to be brilliant painter. i can see and understand what he was trying to paint now with more clarity. after all the reading this lingers with me the most " human beings are capable of holding layered views of reality rather than simple, singular or simplistic worldviews. Reality is complex and even contradictory and aesthetic thought must express this complexity in layered and nuanced ways"
I believe the concluding statement of this essay is powerful, "These ardent artistic practitioners prove that art continues to edify those who seek to be edified by it." To be humbled and be educated by our craft is what keeps movements and mind sets in forward motion. Over the centuries we have learned and grown in art because we have been edified by it. Art and aesthetics is such an evolving practice that requires us to remain humble and teachable, to know our roots allows us to then break those rules and create modern movements that are simultaneously aware of where they came from and their past influences. As an artist, I hope I always remain thirsty for knowledge and growth.
I really like the “Cut” acronym for describing the interwar aesthetic outlooks. I never thought of art in terms of Critical, Utopian, or Transcendentalist subject matters. Now that I am aware of these views, I will be looking for them in art that I see in the future.
Out of all of the ideas I read about in this post, I identify most with Walt Whitman. I love his poetry and I love the artwork produced during the art and craft movement. I feel that American artists at this time created functional pieces of craft that doubled as art.
It is undoubtedly true that art follows history. The social movements will always directly or indirectly influence human actions and direct the thought process and in turn art. In this past century where we have seen many social changes art too has gone through several phases. The constant turmoil of the 20th century brought upon a breakdown of near realistic representation that culminated in the late 1800's into blocks and arrangements that were meant to convey the emotion of the artist. With two great wars, economic depression, famines and poverty all the way through social revolutions that didn't really end until the 70's brought upon a complete teardown of what art was. Where in other periods each period of art built upon the past. This accelerated breakdown left us with little to build upon. Which is where we could see the reason for the return to the old aesthetics and standards. As it is true that art follows history it is also true that we are always bound to repeat it.
I actually like to think of Burning Man being somewhat partly in the spirit of Wagner. It is indeed a huge spectacle of art music and everything all coming together - as Wagner imagined things for the Ring cycle - and then at the end everything is destroyed/dismantled/taken apart as the burning man sculpture itself is, well, burned. I certainly would like to go there some day - from all the videos I've seen, people I've talked to, and livecast feed footage I've seen of the event it certainly has this feeling of absolute epicness that Wagner might in part be proud of. Hell, several of the vehicles look like monsters and dragons from his operas.
The numerous comments here are refreshing and reflect multiple sensibilities. This is not surprising given the rich diversity represented in the students making up the class.
But what meant the most to me in reading and reflecting further on these statements was a consistent tone in the comments that was humble and teachable.
If we can all learn one thing from our semester-long study of Aesthetics, it is to remain open and compassionate receivers as we stand before the expressive and artistic communications of our fellow travelers in this world.
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