Aesthetics

Art is a selective re-creation of reality according to an
artist's metaphysical value judgments. Man's profound need of art lies in
the fact that his cognitive faculty is conceptual, i.e., that he acquires
knowledge by means of abstractions, and needs the power to bring his widest
metaphysical abstractions into his immediate, perceptual awareness. Art
fulfills this need: by means of a selective re-creation, it concretizes
man's fundamental view of himself and of existence. It tells man, in effect,
which aspects of his experience are to be regarded as essential,
significant, important. - Ayn Rand, "Art and Cognition" The Romantic
Manifesto, p. 45.

Contrary to popular opinion, aesthetics is
not about one's opinion in art; or at least not entirely. Aesthetics is a
branch of philosophy that deals with beauty, or the beautiful, especially in
regards to taste and values of standards in judging art. Because there are
those that believe that one can slap a can of paint on a two-by-four and
sell it for two million dollars they are somehow an artist, we have a
complete lack of understanding of what actually constitutes art. Much of
what we see on a day to day basis, even here on deviantART, is not art, but
very pretty decorations, or wonderful examples of a student of aesthetics
working toward a deeper understanding of his tools or medium. But art is
actually that which produces an interpretation of one's world view.

Aesthetics comes from the Greek word, aesthetikos, which means,
perception. The philosophy of aesthetics is about the perception of
the world around us, the ethical values that we hold dear, and the deepest
emotional sense of life that we share with others through the re-creations
that we produce in our chosen mediums. Whether representing Dionysian orgies
or decapitations, art produces a peek into the personal values of the
artist, and a single image can speak volumes as to the inner psyche of the
creator.

Art, it can be said, represents the artist's ability to interpret his values
in a medium that expresses these values in a very real and objective manner.
Art provides the means to get insides one's mind and reveal what cannot
otherwise be expressed by ordinary means of communication. Because art
typically uses what one might call sensuous or suggestive materials, it is
about the exhibition of the artist's insight into his own reality that comes
into play through each work of art that is formulated and manifested through
the imagination and genius of the artist.

The first use of the word aesthetics was in 1750 by Alexander Gottlieb
Baumgarten in his book Aesthetica in which he analyzed the problem of beauty
regarded by him as recognition of perfection by means of the senses. For
Baumgarten, aesthetics was the science of sensual knowledge, whose aim was
beauty, as contrasted to logic, whose aim was truth. John Keats, in "Ode on
a Grecian Urn", ended with "Beauty is truth, truth beauty,-that is all / Ye
know on earth, and all ye need to know." There is no reason to believe that
beauty and truth are in contrast to each other, as Baumgarten proposed, but
rather that they are to be seen as handmaidens which walk side by side to
bring to life the essence of our world view through our creations.

Beauty, it is said, is in the eye of the beholder. But it is in the deepest
understanding of one's art that we can see the values of the artist come to
life. It is not unreasonable to suggest that by one's art can one be seen in
truth of who they are on an intimate level. It is not the technical
perfection of the art, but the reality - even in the most fantastical image
- that it represents on a personal level. In fact, it is certainly a valid
suggestion that the artist infuses every creation with an energy, or a
life-force, that is a direct representation of the artist.

But this brings up the nature of art and what constitutes art. Art has
traditionally been contrasted with nature, and what is usually implied by
this contrast is not that there is something miraculous or supernatural in
art, but that art is the result of a conscious activity. Even more so, art
uses the natural - whether it be through brushes, materials, or even the
representation of the natural world - as and vehicles or instruments by
which artistic insights are expressed. Art goes beyond the mere
representation of the natural and produces something emotive about the
creation itself. Anyone can recreate a sunrise, but it is the content of the
image itself that must move the observer to something other than merely
seeing a sunrise. The observer must see that which the artist intends the
sunrise to represent that makes it art.

Likewise, art expresses the experience of the artist, by which is meant that
the creation of art results from the artist contributing his personality,
knowledge, memory and imagination to excite the senses of the observer to
activity. Art is the deepening and intensifying of an experience by the
imaginative transformation of that experience into something that can only
be conveyed through an emotional outpouring to the canvas or computer. Art,
as an experience, reflects experience and adds to it. It is not the slavish
duplication of nature - a mere imitation of nature whether of landscapes or
the human mindscape - but the enrichment of the personal reflection and
experience of the artist.

So, how do you want to be known? As we post images here on deviantART, we
are building a record of our own minds, our own souls, our own world views.
I am certain that there are images that are merely technical propositions,
avenues of our own personal education in the finer aspects of our artistic
expressions. We certainly should encourage such submissions in order to
assist each other in our pursuit of perfection. But the real art, that which
expresses the inner perspective of how we view the world around us, the
expression of our personal values and ethics, is that which we should sit
back and examine, quietly, respectfully, and with the knowledge that we have
been given the chance to see into the very depths of those whom we have
chosen to observe.
________________________________________ _______________
Welcome to the first installment of 's column!


Inspiration: Breathing Life into Art

Hundreds of books have been written on inspiration, how to "get it" and where to find it. Most verge on— if not jumping right off— the edge of some New Agey lunacy that tries to convince you that the Muse whispers only to you and that you aren't really crazy for sitting there at 2am while you watch that four hour render of a mushroom.

It's a beautiful mushroom, to be sure.

Inspiration is seen by most to be some ambiguous notion that comes and goes, a subtle nuance that moves us to paint images from little fairy girls to paradisiacal sunsets to vile creations born in the womb of Hel herself. Yes, I know. There are those that do art for art's sake; and they make a decent living at it too. I would imagine that they are, at times, inspired by things that move them to create pieces that go beyond the mediocre images of Yuppie wall prints. However, inspiration must come from somewhere, someone or something. It's an active aspect of what we do, and how we function, as artists.

Let's examine a couple of the definitions of inspiration. Inspiration is, according to the primary definition in Merriam-Webster, "a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation; the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions; the act of influencing or suggesting opinions." This seems reasonable enough. In this, inspiration is action. It is not a nebulous fog an artist walks through, takes a whiff and then runs off to create the next Sistine Chapel. Inspiration must move the intellect or the emotions. In fact, it is my personal opinion that the deepest sources of inspiration move a balance between mind and emotion and cause an artist to act in the role of the Creator to bring, to one's viewers, their own revelation, their own vision of that inspiration.

A secondary definition of inspiration is, "the act of drawing in; specifically : the drawing of air into the lungs." And this is the definition that I wish to focus on here. Inspiration is the "act of drawing in"; it is something which draws you in, captures you, captures your imagination with celerity of mind and emotion, and breathes life into one's work. Just as human beings cannot live without air, so your art cannot live without inspiration. And, likewise, your art must draw the viewer into its lungs and breathe the air of your revelation in a way that moves them to either mental understanding or emotional empathy— or better yet, both.

The sources for inspiration are as varied as there are individuals. In fact, the same event, object, or concept can provide very different types of inspiration to different individuals. But here is the beauty of inspiration: even the same source might provide very different results to the same individual. Of course, what is an inspiration to me— my beautiful son, my dull (primary) job, my exciting (secondary) work, my personal beliefs, my cynical world view, my insane ability to warp anything into my own creation— might not be an inspiration to you. While I cannot tell you what should be a source of inspiration for you, in most cases (gratuitous renders aside) I should be able to figure out the inspiration for any given piece that you create no matter how subtle or simple.

And that brings me to my final point here. Inspiration does not have to be complex. I love to quote myself (as anyone who reads my DA Journal already knows), so I will again here: Life is ... complex in its beauty but simplistic in its artistry. Life is already complex enough. By being observant, by being aware your environment, inspiration can come from the smallest detail that jumps out and becomes larger than life in order to wave you down to sit for a while with a latte and a conversation about how you can express meaning through your work. My advice? Enjoy the latte. The resultant images will speak volumes to your viewers.








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