Aesthetics

People have judged art for many years, but the two theories that stuck out from past centuries until now is formalism and romanticism. The aesthetic theory of formalism says that people should judge art solely based on what the critique sees in front of them, the shapes and colors that bring the piece together. They do not believe that art should be judged based on the emotion it brings to you or the meaning the artist was trying to bring to life when he or she did the artwork. On the other hand, the theory of romanticism says that yes art should be judged on what is the form and rational elements which the artwork contains but it should also be judged based on the emotion a person gets when they see or hear a piece of art.

In terms of explanatory breadth, the theory of romanticism is able to explain many different phenomena unlike formalism. Romantics do not limit their theory to just one area of how art should be judged, they considers all aspects of what should truly make something art. While formalists are so stringent with their regulations of what should make something art, that they only believe that something should be classified as art solely based on the pleasure it beings you and how beautiful it is. Formalism pushes aside the fact that when people hear or see certain things, they feel something; whether it be happiness or grief, pain or pleasure.

Romanticism elucidates some of the aspects of art in greater detail than formalism. Romanticism goes deeper in to the true meaning of art. A work of art should make you feel some form of emotion and it should make you wonder what they artist wanted you to get out of it. Formalism just want you to judge a work of art on what you see. But you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, because it may look like something on the outside but when you open it, it may mean something totally different.

Formalism has fewer parts to it than Romanticism, therefore it is has more simplicity to its theory. Formalism only has two way that are should be judges, while Romanticism has more than two ways. Formalism is more appeasing to the eyes because of the lack of word content and reasoning in it. Instead of giving more ways to how art should be judged they just stick with the simple form while romanticism explains it in full detail.

The generation we live in has become more technology based and evolved than past generations.Instead of just sitting around for hours on hours getting your picture drawn you could easily take up your phone and take a picture, edit it and call it a day The theory which the romantics bring is more with our generation because it doesn't just view art as one thing because nowadays art come in many forms and brings on many emotions to people. Romanticism is more conservative than formalism. Formalism is just basing their theory off of what is done with a pencil and paper. Romanticism theory is less based on our current beliefs than formalism

1.      Romanticism and Formalism are the most plausible explanations of how art should be judged.

2.      Romanticism has more explanatory breadth and conservatism, whereas Formalism has more simplicity.

3.      Therefore, Romanticism is the best explanation of how art should be judged.

Aesthetics

                There are many forms of art, from music to paintings. Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of art. It involves many theories that examine the differences between art and non-art. Two of these theories are Formalism and Romanticism. Formalism is the idea that the purpose of art is to represent form and rationality. Romanticism states that art is not limited to only the form and rationality of a piece, but that the function of art is to express emotions.

            In the aesthetics debate, I side with the Romanticists. I believe that there is always some form of emotion triggered when viewing a work of art. Formalists fail to address the emotions that people feel when they look at a piece of art; they simply concentrate on the beauty and technique of the piece.

            Romanticism has more explanatory breadth than Formalism. Romanticism looks at the emotional aspects of art rather than just the beauty or form of the artwork. Formalists do not consider the emotional side of art.  If you look at many pieces of art, some paintings don't look beautiful and some songs don't sound beautiful, but they still make the person experiencing them feel something. 
            Romanticism has more explanatory depth than Formalism. Romanticism goes into greater depth than Formalism does. Romanticism is not limited to the Formalist view, by adding their belief in emotions expressed by artwork. It explains more pieces of work than Formalism can. Formalism is vague by just claiming that art is only judged by beauty because life itself is based on the emotions we feel towards something, not just the beauty of it. People are able to relate to any form of art, not just the pleasing, making  Romanticism a lot more plausible than Formalism.

            Formalism has more simplicity than Romanticism. It only focuses on the form and technique of art. Romanticists also take emotion into consideration. In Romanticism, artwork is viewed differently based on the person, making it more complicated. Formalists only find one meaning in artwork, based on the form of the piece.

            Romanticism is a lot more common now than Formalism is. When it comes to any form of art, people find a connection to it through their emotions. People judge artwork based in how it makes them feel rather than how it's structured or formed. It is not solely judged on the beauty of it, but also how it has an affect on the person's emotions. 

1. Romanticism and Formalism are the most plausible explanations when judging art.

2. Romanticism has more explanatory breadth, explanatory depth, and conservatism, whereas, Formalism has more simplicity.

3. Therefore, Romanticism is the best explanation when judging art.

Blog 4: Option 2

     As Aristotle once said, "The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." For this very reason I chose the song "Nikki" by Logic as the basis of the interpretation of the artwork I find most insightful. The song "Nikki" is on his debut album, titled "Under Pressure", which was released on October, 21, 2014. 

     The song Nikki started with a simple hashtag. Logic tweeted #WhosNikki which immediately started trending worldwide on Twitter. Fans eagerly wanted to know who Nikki was. Some fans thought maybe it was his current love interest, but others thought Nikki was symbolic for something else. No one knew for certain.

     Fans finally found out who "Nikki" was on October 21st. Nikki was indeed symbolic for something else. The song speaks about his addiction to Nicotine, hence Nikki. Upon first inspection of this remarkable piece of art I was unable to realize the symbolic meaning hidden within the lyrics, but after listening to the song a countless amount of times I was finally able to decipher the meaning behind the song. It was not only created to appeal to those with said addiction, but it was constructed in a way as to relate to those who deal with all sorts of addiction. In my opinion, this makes the song extremely deep.
"The identity of Nikki is finally revealed. In this song Logic struggles with his nicotine addiction which he refers to as Nikki; note the rhyme scheme — Nikki and nicotine. Logic understands that Nikki is not good for his health and is doing everything in his power to not go back with her, but lately Logic has been feeling like a slave for Nikki."
     Explanatory Breadth: It does address all aspects of the artwork.
     Explanatory Depth: It explains the aspect of addiction very vaguely because it doesn't use the actual song lyrics.
     Simplicity: The interpretation has zero assumptions. It has two parts: the revelation of Nikki, and why the song is about "her".
     Conservatism: It is consistent with our current, common sense belief of the artwork. Everyone knows cigarettes and nicotine are harmful to one's health.
     Predictive Power: The artist said, he's smoked for ten years, and he's a slave to the nicotine. I believe this provides a lot of support for the interpretation.

1. Addiction is interpreted as the meaning of Nikki.
2. Addiction has a decent amount of explanatory breadth and depth, but it's kind of simple.
3. Addiction is an accurate interpretation of Nikki.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y0Zjxu4V6c

[Verse 1]
I can feel you in my lungs, feel you in my veins
Bloodstream only way to make it to my brain
I tried some others but man they just not as good as you
Going crazy cause I only feel this good with you
Maybe I’m just not as strong as I once was
When we’re together lately I don’t even feel a buzz
I’m addicted to this shit like it was hard drugs
Nikki baby I love you but now I gotta go
Cause in the end what happens you already know
Probably wonder where I been at, I been laying low
But in my mind I’m wondering what I’m paying for
All these other bitches on my dick but I can’t fuck with that
You the only girl I need I gotta have you back
Even though you turn my lungs black
Tell me where you've been jack
Uh, I know this shorty that go by the name Mary
I used to fuck her way back when I didn't know a thing
Skipping school with all my homies on some truancy
But when I ended things with her it was just you and me
Doing me good, that’s what I thought at first
Me and you together swear to god I saw that work
Away from you though man it's just so hard to work
Uh, my heart is hard at work
We been together like ten years, goddamn took me as young man
Everyday I wonder who I am, who will I be, where will I go
What will they write upon my grave?
A free man born as a king, who died as a slave
But everything he gave her was for nothing though
Oh no I can’t fade that shit I gotta let you go
You got me tripping like a flight to Vegas
All this shit you got me doing man it’s outrageous
All I know is I’m living the life I never would
Finally let you go, I thought I never could
Don’t get me wrong, can’t forget the times shared
Seem like everywhere I go, I always know you're there
Tried to run but my legs won’t
I look away but my head don’t
I love it when you’re fresh
I love it when I take your top off and we share the same breath
I hate it that I need you, Nikki
But I love it when I feed you, Nikki
I hate that I bleed for you
Uh, I long and I need for you
But I love it when I taste you
Nothing can replace you
I wish I could erase you, you’re everywhere I go
But you’re everywhere I long to be
And all these other people that don’t seem to understand
I’m just a man they always ask what’s wrong with me
Man you’re everything I crave
You’re the only thing I let in that would put me in the grave
I’m a king, you’re my Coretta
But lately I been feeling like a slave for the nicotine

Romanticism vs. Formalism

            There are two important aesthetic theories that are used to judge artwork, which are Romanticism and Formalism. These two sides are very significant because our world is filled with art all around us. Romanticism believes that art is about emotional self-awareness and non-rational emotions that helps make us able to realize how to improve ourselves, others and society in different mysterious ways. On the other side of the argument, formalism is the belief that art is viewed to evoke the beauty and pleasure content in abstract and figurative ways that should give us insight. Romanticism is more plausible when judging art. The characteristics of Romanticism better classify what true art accurately is.

            Romanticism explains more works of art than the other, which makes it explanatory breadth. Formalism only focuses on certain works of arts that evoke pleasure and beauty. The definition narrows down a lot of piece of work because for some artists that is not always the purpose. Beauty and pleasure are not the only emotions involved in art. Formalism therefore neglects the other varieties of emotions that can be elaborated during works of art. Art allows us to express any type of emotion we are experience. There is no way that we feel beauty and pleasure all the time. Romanticism does not focus on one or two emotions while it explains that the major part is non-rational emotions. It also elaborates that one needs experiences to be in touch with ourselves and then aware of our emotions and reality. There are more works of art that agree with Romanticism because there is no restriction. Therefore making Romanticism have more explanatory breadth and explain more works of art than formalism.

            Romanticism explains more aspects in greater detail than formalism making it include more explanatory depth. Romanticism includes more varieties of art and emotions with more clarity and detail. Romanticism is not limited while judging a piece of work. It understands and takes rationality into thought. They believe that their pieces of artwork should have their audience think and have strong feelings. Romanticism goes into an abstract manner which formalism neglects. Formalism is too narrow-minded and that is why it is so unsuccessful. Romanticism is more detailed in the emotional aspect, while formalism only includes beauty and pleasure.

            Simplicity is when one has fewer parts than another and the theory that does this is formalism. Formalism only focuses on beauty and pleasure while romanticism opens up to the wide variety of emotions that can be incorporated into a piece of art. Romanticism has more parts making it more complicated because it goes into deeper meanings not only by emotion but also by experiences and what one feels after viewing the artwork. However, romanticism being complicated does not make it bad it just has more value and explanation to its meaning. Formalism does not have their viewers aware of the mysterious reality like romanticism does.

            Romanticism is the theory that is more coherent with the current and common sense beliefs today, making it more conservatism than formalism. More people would agree with that fact that beauty and pleasure cannot be the only emotions included in pieces of work. As art has evolved so has the emotions put into the work. People do not want restrictions and limitations when judging and viewing artwork because now there are so many things that are considered art. If an art gallery only used pieces with beauty and pleasure it would not be that successful. People are not always feeling beauty and pleasure. Romanticism expresses more meaning to the pieces of work especially after one leaves because their view makes people aware of the mysterious reality. Today more people are going thinking differently than before and want more freedom especially with the way they feel.  

            In conclusion, romanticism is more plausible of an explanation when viewing what art truly is and judging pieces of artwork. Art is powerful and can change the world. However, it cannot be powerful and have restrictions. Therefore, romanticism allows the freedom to create and love what we feel. Romanticism is long lasting because we relate deeper into the piece of work.

1. Romanticism and Formalism are the most plausible explanations of judging pieces of artwork.

2. Romanticism has much more explanatory depth, conservatism and explanatory breadth, whereas Formalism has more simplicity.

3. Therefore, Romanticism is the best explanation of judging pieces of artwork. 

Formalism vs Romanticism

Art has been present in today’s society for hundreds of decades. Art may vary from painting, dancing, poetry and music. Aesthetic tries to define through philosophy good vs bad art. Aesthetic studies the foundation of art and states art is supposed to capture something significant about reality. They believe that art should be relevant to the world and imperative to society. However art is a form of expression, it does not necessarily have to mean something to a set of people but evoke certain emotions through them. 

Explanatory Breadth: The two main arguments used in describing art is the Formalism and Romanticism. Formalism states that art is to be based on its form, and romanticism states that art expresses non-rational emotions and does so in order to make us aware of a mysterious transcendent reality.

Explanatory Depth: Formalism is based on society perception of things. It is not ideal to emotions and therefore lacking the connection to the real world. Romanticism allows you to come up with your own conclusion of a specific work of art. It allows you to go beyond the literal meaning of art and define the meaning based on feelings, experiences, and understanding.  

Simplicity: I believe that as a society we cannot define art. Art is something that evoke emotions through live experiences. Throughout these experiences we experience emotions such as pain, embarrassment, love, anger, and fear. The factors in which these emotions come could vary from individuals. For example, if I look at a painting that depicted a dark stormy night I could be either have a positive or negative response to the painting.

Conservatism: Romanticism is more conservatism based on the fact that emotion is the center for our basis. In today’s society, when displaying art either in a gallery or a home, people seek the emotional connection the art gives. It is believe that people feel more connected to something when they are emotionally invested into it.  

1.      Romanticism and Formalism are the most reasonable explanation of art.

2.      Romanticism has much more explanatory breadth, explanatory depth and conservatism and simplicity.

3.      Therefore Romanticism is the best explanation of art.

Aesthetics

Formalism is the view that the purpose of art is to present formal beauty in a figurative or abstract manner and evoke a disinterested relation to the work that gives us rational insight. Basically meaning that everything meant to be interpreted In that work of art is in itself. No outside knowledge like culture or emotion is necessarily. Romanticism argues that art isn’t limited to the rational and includes non-rational components that influence its interpretation and design. Of the two I believe romanticism offers a lot better explanation than formalism mainly due to the fact that I see emotion highly present in many pieces of artwork and without them many great pieces would be rather bland and not great at all.

In terms of explanatory breadth romanticism offers an explanation for a lot more pieces of work than formalism. Formalism cannot explain all those pieces of art that include emotion or are laden with cultural meaning. Someone who hasn’t experienced that emotion or learned the culture that resonates around that artwork would not get the interpretation of that piece.

Also in terms of explanatory depth romanticism has the upper hand due to the fact that someone who has not previous knowledge of the piece may only graze the surface of its meaning. However someone who is learned in the area of knowledge that the artwork correlates to then they may dig further and acquire a deeper intellectual meaning.

In terms of simplicity formalism wins because when viewing an artwork one does not need to think outside the picture. Everything you need to know is in that picture and thus simplifying the process to understanding it.

In terms of conservatism I’d say romanticism has the upper hand but not by much. People love to tie numerous emotional meanings to many things and to always look at the bigger picture or outside the box. With the formalistic point of view one cannot do that, they have to stay trapped in the artwork mentally in order to understand it.

1.      Romanticism and Formalism are the most plausible explanations of art.

2.      Romanticism has more explanatory breadth, depth, and is stronger in conservatism whereas formalism is better in terms of simplicity.

3.      Therefore, Romanticism is the best explanation of art.

 

Formalism vs. Romanticism

There are many different ways that an individual can view of judge a piece of artwork.  One way of viewing art stems from the formalism theory. This theory believes that art should be evaluated merely on visual aspects. Formalist believe that you are analyzing an artwork, should not include your emotions nor any historical or social background. is another theory that people use to judge artwork. For this theory, they believe that art should be viewed as a way that others express emotion. I personally am in favor of the romanticism theory, I believe that it is more plausible and has more depth to it than the formalism.

Explanatory breadth- Romanticism has more breadth than formalism because it explains more why an artwork is art. They recognize the emotion behind an artwork rather than just the technique like formalism.

Explanatory depth- Romanticism has more explanatory depth than formalism it defines arts purpose on a profound level. They evaluate art from a more emotional stand point rather than focusing on the abstract part of art. Through romanticism, art is able to attract more of an audience because there are different ways that each individual can interpret the meaning of a particular artwork. For example the Wander above the Sea of Fog painted by Caspar David Friedrich, some may interpret this as winning a battle or conquering a fear while others may see this as a journey just beginning.  Because emotions can vary, there isn’t any limitations to how an individual can feel or react to a piece of artwork unlike formalism where there is only one correct way to view the art. Formalist look at art through things like shapes and lines which doesn’t really give any reason to why the artist created such an artwork, it doesn’t answer why. Romanticism goes into more detail about art.

Simplicity- Formalism has fewer parts than romanticism. Formalism is straight to the point, you don’t need to evaluate emotion or try to decipher what the artist is trying to showcase. With romanticism anyone can be an artist and anything can be art. For example a person can throw paint on the floor and classify it as art because they have an emotional attachment to it, but is it really art? This is what makes romanticism so complex.

Conservatism- Romanticism is more current with our beliefs. Today in society we are very intrigued with our emotions. We like to analyze things with our feelings so when it comes to art it’s no different. We view art with emotion to truly understand the real meaning of it . Formalism isn’t consistent with our beliefs because art tends to change and unless an individual who is educated in the techniques and etc. of art are the ones viewing them from a formalist standpoint.

 1. Romanticism and formalism are the most plausible explanation of judging art.

2. Romanticism has much more explanatory depth, breadth and conservatism whereas formalism has more simplicity.

3. Therefore, Romanticism is the best explanation of judging art.

Aesthetics

Formalism vs. Romanticism

Aesthetics studies the philosophical foundation of the Arts. It accomplishes this by examining beauty, art and also with the concept of taste. Two aesthetic theories are formalism and romanticism. Formalism states that art is combining and setting an order to lines and colors, in a particular way, that promotes a rational vision. Romanticism states art shouldn’t be just bound to a rational vision, but one that promotes the thought of a mysterious transcendent reality. It is an expressive knowledge. The most plausible theory for judging artworks is formalism.

        Many works of art are conceptualized before they are made, some are not, but it’s likely that more successful artworks are, at least partially, conceptualized before they are made. The order to each line and color of every piece is important. More artworks are dependent on their form to distinguish them and their beauty. While romantics believe that it’s also the irrational message of the artwork that should be used to judge art, it all depends on the form of the piece. For example, the Eiffel Tower is considered art. The tower does not stand for an irrational message, yet it’s beauty is from the shape and order of its parts. This is the case for many buildings. They need to have a particular order and shape to keep it standing. Romantics may think of some irrational message to associate with a building, but it’s not first made to reflect that message. Therefore, formalism has more explanatory breadth than romanticism.

        Romanticism states a part of art’s function is to express non-rational emotions. These emotions can make us aware of a mysterious transcendent reality, deeper than one to which we typically relate. This theory goes into more depth about what can be in something to call it art, where formalism just focuses on the structure and more rational aspects. Rational beauty is too narrow an aesthetic standard according to romantics. For example, romantics have a stronger belief in the senses and emotions rather than reason and intellect. Therefore, romanticism has more explanatory depth than formalism.

        Formalism claims that art is to be based on its form, and romanticism claims art expresses non-rational emotions and does so in order to make us aware of a mysterious transcendent reality. Romanticism is more complicated than formalism because it requires you to think about the art beyond just what you see and to become aware of the mysterious transcendent reality. Formalism allows you to judge the artwork in the form directly without having to think about it any deeper. Therefore, formalism has more simplicity than romanticism.

        Our current beliefs about art tend to agree with the theory of formalism more than the theory of romanticism. For example, someone could consider a car to be a work of art. This means that they are focusing on the lines of the car and the color which make it seem appealing. Also they may be referring to a car as art because they see beauty in the way it operates. For example, if a car is capable of doing what many don’t, say running off of electricity, but is able to have the same performance, that could seen as art to someone who build cars. So, the car may just stand for quality and new technology and nothing deeper and sublime that would needed to be judged by romanticism. Therefore, formalism has more conservatism than romanticism.

1. Formalism and Romanticism are the two most plausible theories to judge artworks.
2. Formalism has more explanatory breadth, simplicity, and conservatism whereas romanticism has more explanatory depth.
3. Therefore, formalism is the best theory to judge artworks.

Romanticism vs. Formalism

Formalism is the view that art is meant to express specific scenes in history and is meant to abstractly depict things that can be explained. Formalism is the idea that art is factual and that the sole purpose of art work is to be factual. Whereas Romanticism is the view that art is not limited to things that we have experienced and that are real, but it is a gateway for new ideas and a depiction of new thoughts. Romanticism is not limited to the world we know and is also not meant to be factual but emotional. Romanticism is the best explanation for viewing art.  

 Explanatory Breadth –Romanticism explains more facets then formalism. Formalism is limited to facts and is very straight forward. Therefore it is very one sided unlike romanticism which can have many sides and make you experience many emotions. If you were to look at a work of art strictly as a formalist then you would only see one side of the story that is being told and you wouldn’t have an emotional connection to the piece you would simply move on once you have learned what is being depicted. Romanticism is very different; it leaves room for you to explore all sides of the work of art and allows the viewer to feel something deeply.

Explanatory Depth – Romanticism better explains the reason why an ancient work, let’s say of art from ancient Egypt, has lasted as long as it has. If everyone were formalists then we would have learned what we could have from the art and then thrown is away after all the knowledge was written down. But instead the works of art from long ago have lasted decades because most art historians are romanticists. There is a deep emotional connection we have to art work from the past because it has given us a glimpse into what our ancestors did and who they were.

Simplicity – Formalism has fewer parts and assumptions then romanticism because it is the short analyses of a work of art. Assumption is always seen in a negative light but it can be beneficial in many ways. If we never made assumptions about artwork we would never have answers or at least theories for some of history’s greatest questions. The Mona Lisa for example, we have wondered for many years who the mystery women is and what she is looking at. We would never have the theory that it is in fact da Vinci himself as a woman. Its only with the eye of romanticism do these options come into play.

Conservatism – Romanticism falls more relevant then formalism. Art is made today to not only be factual and tell a story but to make people feel a certain way perhaps even cry. When people look at murals commemorating great tragedy they aren’t doing so just to figure out what happened. We are well aware of the past and well educated on current events. Art work today is made to be enjoyed rather than analyzed for factual purposes.

Romanticism is the most plausible explanations of how to view artwork.

Formalism has much more simplicity and conservatism, whereas romanticism has a little more explanatory depth.

Therefore, Romanticism is the best explanation of how to view artwork.