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Activity 4.3- Kitsch Value

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  Clement Greenberg described Kitsch as “the epitome of all that is spurious in the life of our times,” (1939) a line that captures his skepticism of its artistic legitimacy. For Greenberg, Kitsch is not simply low-quality art, it is ingenuine art. It fails to evoke genuine emotion, lacks depth, and serves as a substitute for what he considered to be true culture. The word kitsch, derived from the German word for “trash,” is typically used to describe art that is inexpensive, mass-produced and sentimentally appealing. Emerging alongside the Industrial Revolution and a rapid transformation of society, Kitsch became a product designed for effortless enjoyment. Think of porcelain figures sold in souvenir shops and mass-printed landscapes from artists like Thomas Kinkade. These objects often imitate the effects of traditional art without demanding reflection or interpretation from their viewers. Unlike Avant-Garde art, which aims to challenge societal norms, requires effort on the pa...
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Activity 4.2- The Codex Leicester

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  Collecting art has increasingly become an interest of wealthy and elite. The market seems to function as self-perpetuating cycle, those with the financial means are the only ones capable of making such purchases, and their willingness to spend freely drives prices even higher. As values rise, access narrows even more, reinforcing the reality that only the wealthy have the means to participate. But this raises an important question, why has art collecting become such an interest among this particular class? There are several explanations. The most straightforward is a true appreciation, many collectors truly value art and are drawn to its significance. Beyond personal interest, art has a history of retaining value, even during periods of economic instability. As an investment, it is relatively low risk, offers the potential for high returns, and serves as a tool to diversify one’s portfolio. For individuals with substantial wealth, art can function both as a passion and a financia...
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Activity 4.1-Museums

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  What is a museum? According to the International Council of Museums (ICOM) they define a museum as: A not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society that researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage. Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability. They operate and communicate ethically, professionally and with the participation of communities, offering varied experiences for education, enjoyment, reflection and knowledge sharing. (2022) Museums serve a wide range of important functions in society. They act as safe havens for the collection, preservation and conservation of artifacts and artworks, ensuring that items of significance are acquired and properly protected. They also function as centers of scholarship, where experts research, interpret and deepen our understanding of objects in their care. In addition, museums are also educators, presenting objects in ways that ...
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Activity 3.2- Significant Form

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  Clive Bell argued that all artworks share a defining quality, a feature that sets them apart from ordinary objects and defines them as art. He called this quality Significant Form. For Bell, Significant Form refers to the particular combination of lines, shapes, forms, and colors that together create a specific aesthetic emotion in the viewer. This response is what Bell argues decides whether something is art or not. Because of this, Bell believes that what an artwork depicts, and whether it is done realistically or representationally, is irrelevant to its value. Subject matter does not matter. What does matter is the artwork’s ability to produce the aesthetic emotion that comes only from viewing Significant Form. In Bell’s view, this emotional response is the true measure of artistic value. If Bell’s theory is correct, then people across cultures should be able to look at the same artwork and appreciate it, even if they cannot relate to its subject matter or symbolism. For B...
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Activity 3.1- Art as Experience

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  John Dewey believed that art was a process based in interaction. The first interaction happens between the artist and their materials, the experimentation and discovery they experience during the creation process. The second interaction is when a viewer encounters the finished work and brings their own perceptions, emotions and interpretations to it. In his view, art is not solely the final object but the entire creative process, imagining an idea, engaging with materials, adapting to challenges and ultimately bringing the vision to life. An artwork is the record of this process not just the end result. Dewey also argued that modern museum culture has taken art, something he believed to be a shared experience, and turned it into something distant and elitist. He criticized the notion that art is separate from everyday life, something to be treated as rare or superior. In museums, artworks are often removed from their original contexts, placed on bare walls, and accompanied by m...
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Activity 2.3- Plato's Criticisms

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  Plato had three main criticisms of art. First, he argued that art is twice removed from reality because it imitates the physical world, which according to him is itself a copy of what he referred to as true forms. Second, he believed that art had the power to stir up strong emotions in its audience. Finally, because of this emotional influence, he argued that art could have a negative moral impact on individuals and society. According to Plato, art is a form of mimesis or imitation. He believed “they offered mere imitations of things in our world, which themselves were copies of the Ideas.” (Freeland, ch.2) When we look at art, we are not encountering a truthful representation but a deceptive likeness that takes us further away from true understanding. For Plato, art could mislead the audience into mistaking an illusion for reality and even suggests that artists themselves lack true understanding of what they are depicting. Plato also argued that art could provoke strong emotions...
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Activity 2.2- The Artworld

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  Andy Warhol, Del Monte Peach Halves Box , 1964 Pop Art wanted to make viewers question the traditional concepts of high art by incorporating mass produced commercialized images into fine art. By drawing inspiration from popular culture and commercialism, Pop artists challenged the established norms in the art world. Arthur Danto, seeing art like Roy Lichtenstein’s The Kiss and Andy Warhol’s Brillo Boxes , developed his theory that recognizing something as art requires more than just seeing it. According to Danto, for an object to become art it has to fit within a framework of theory and historical understanding. These works are art because they have an audience who understands them and is capable of interpreting them to be art. In a 2006 podcast interview, Danto stated, “To see something as art one had to know something about the recent theory and history of art. Warhol’s box seemed to me enfranchised by the theory and history of Pop, which excluded Harvey’s boxes except as ...
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