Activity 3.1- Art as Experience
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 minimal information about their
background or purpose. As a result, art becomes something to be admired from a
distance rather than engaged with meaningfully. Instead of responding to artworks
in a personal, meaningful way, visitors often feel pressured to view them the “correct”
way, which goes against the interaction and experience view that is central to Dewey’s
belief.
Dewey argued that this separation
of art from everyday life leads people to believe that art belongs only to the
elite or experts, rather than to everyone. He saw art as a continuous part of
our daily experience, something that happens when we engage with the world
meaningfully, not just the objects that the institutions label as “art.”
I see this idea play out in
students who feel their work must be “museum worthy” to be considered good.
Many struggle to experiment or take risks because they fear producing something
that falls short of perfection. Our culture’s emphasis on perfection has
chipped away at imagination, curiosity and the courage to try new things. In
striving for perfection, we have lost some of the key qualities necessary for
artistic creation.
I also see Dewey’s concerns
reflected in the state of public education. Over the years, art has been
steadily reduced or removed from school’s curriculum, leaving some students
with little to no exposure to art and the creative process. When children are
not introduced early to art, the gap widens between those who feel art is
accessible and those who grow up believing that are is reserved for a select
few. In this way, the distancing effect Dewey warned about is becoming a reality
for many young people.
John Dewey’s belief that art is an
experience, not only for the artist but for the viewer as well, is powerfully
evident in Picasso’s Guernica. This painting has always stirred an immediate emotional
response in me. The fractured figures, the contorted expressions and the monochromatic
palette create an atmosphere of anguish that one cannot escape. You do not
simply observe Guernica, you feel it. This is precisely what Dewey would say
art is.
Picasso’s own emotional connection
with the bombing of Guernica intensifies this painting. Although Picasso was
living in Paris at the time, the attack on his home country struck him deeply.
He was already working on a different mural for the Spanish Pavilion at the
International Exposition being held in 1937, but upon learning about the bombing,
he abandoned his original plan and directed his energy toward this piece.
Guernica has become one of the most
recognized political artworks. While is does not portray a specific single
event from the bombing, it conveys the horror and tragedy of war with extreme
emotion. In Dewey’s terms, its power does not come from the object itself, but instead
from the experience it creates. An experience that continues to resonate with
viewers today.
Sources
Doyle, J. (2023). Week 3- Art As A Universal Language.
Art Theory and Criticism.
Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. (n.d.). Guernica.
https://www.museoreinasofia.es/en/collections/artwork/guernica-0
PabloPicasso.org. (n.d.). Guernica, 1937 by Pablo Picasso.
https://www.pablopicasso.org/guernica.jsp
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