What is art, and what does it mean? The idea of art and its social function

When reflecting on the meaning of art, it's easy to get sidetracked. Even looking at a single painting can quickly become overwhelming, especially if you spend too much time delving into the story behind the picture and the artist.

In art, there are often a multitude of details that push themselves to the forefront and whose meaning can be explored.

When you first encounter this topic, the following questions often come to mind:

• What is meant by the term art?
• Is this art? Or is it kitsch?
• What kind of art is there?
• What is the meaning of art?
• What is art and what is not?

people hear the word "art,"

Besides these so-called fine arts and their cultural-historical considerations, there are also legal and philosophical levels of consideration, which we will learn about in the course of this article.

These questions and attempts at classification are also central to our interest as the editorial team of Kunstplaza . In this article, we delve into them. Our intellectual journey takes us deep into art theory and to different perspectives on the concept of art .

For an entertaining yet scientifically grounded classification of the concept of art in audiovisual form, we recommend Ralph Casper's contribution in Quarks Dimension:

In this article, Caspers presents a frequently cited example from 1917: The artist Marcel Duchamp a sensation when he submitted an ordinary, mass-produced urinal as an object to an exhibition in New York. Although his "artwork" was initially rejected, it can now be seen in an art museum. Ralph explains in the video how this everyday object, among others, became art.

Now let's start from the very beginning...

Definition and etymology

The definition of art . It seems logical to begin "art"

Etymologically Oxford Dictionary gives us the following information:

 

According to Wikipedia, art is primarily the following:

“The word art, in its broadest sense, refers to any developed activity that is based on knowledge, practice, perception, imagination and intuition (e.g., the art of healing, the art of public speaking).

In a narrower sense, this refers to the results of deliberate human activity that are not clearly defined by function. Art is a human cultural product, the result of a creative process.

The artwork usually comes at the end of this process, but since the modern era, it can also be the process itself. Those who practice art in the narrower sense are called artists

DWDS – the Digital Dictionary of the German Language – also overview of meanings :

1. Reflection of the manifold relationships between man and his environment through the creative shaping of things and processes of reality using sensually perceptible means and the works created thereby, especially in painting, sculpture, poetry and music
2. the skill, acquired ability, proficiency in a particular field
3. [historically developed term]
4. Something artificially created and not naturally grown

A broader consideration of the concept of art in its historical context

For centuries, art historians have categorized art within a specific hierarchy . For a long time, the art of antiquity was considered the definitive art, to which all other movements and eras had to be measured.

A level of perfection was sought that ultimately remains unattainable. The highest degree of idealization was expressed through paintings and sculptures.

The Fine Arts and their forms of expression

Since the Enlightenment (approx. 1650 to 1800), art has primarily been understood as the forms of expression of the fine arts .

This includes, above all:

• Fine arts with the classical genres of painting and graphic arts, sculpture, architecture and numerous smaller forms, as well as, since the 19th century, the applied arts or crafts, the border area to the applied arts.
• Music with the main disciplines of composition and interpretation in vocal and instrumental music
• Literature with the main genres of epic, drama, lyric poetry and essay writing
• Performing arts with the main disciplines of theatre, dance and film
• Opera as a union of all the arts: music, performing arts (acting), visual arts (stage design), literature (poetry)

During the Enlightenment, paintings and books gained wider popularity among the population. Theatrical performances, as well as musical and dance presentations, captivated audiences in specially designed venues with technically sophisticated stages. Literature was considered an independent field within and alongside the arts, and was significantly shaped by important figures such as William Shakespeare, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and Friedrich Schiller.

This list of the so-called fine arts is considered a classic categorization and makes no claim to be exhaustive. Numerous art forms have been added in modern times, such as photography, radio broadcasting, and the internet.

Towards abstraction in modernity

During the 19th century, a gradual departure from idealized representations began in the visual arts. This led to a dynamic development that gradually escalated towards abstraction, with color and line becoming increasingly detached from the concrete object.

During this period, the artwork increasingly developed into something independent and autonomous, into art for art's sake , with artistic freedom being considered a central principle. Movements such as Impressionism , Expressionism , and Surrealism had a formative influence on painting from 1880 to 1920.

Abstract art may not be immediately comprehensible at first glance, yet it has secured a firm place and enormous significance in the contemporary art world. Over this time, a shift in thinking has also taken place in art history. Art can no longer be hierarchically ordered. No era is superior to another, and no artwork or style should be devalued, as artworks arise from specific artistic intentions .

In the 1920s, the theatre director Erwin Piscator and the playwright Bertolt Brecht attempted a renewed functionalization of art. Within this framework, they invented the highly technological "epic theatre".

Concepts in postmodernism

Art is generally understood today as any activity or creation carried out by humans with a communicative or aesthetic purpose – something that expresses an idea, a feeling, or more generally, a worldview.

It is an integral part of our culture and its form usually reflects economic and social conditions. Art today is a fluid concept of global significance, constantly allowing for new interpretations. It is so fluid that it cannot be stopped.

Our contemporary approach to art reflects the present time, but also actively participates in cultural developments. By translating emotions and ideas into visual representations and making them visible to others, it actively contributes to shaping the world, rather than merely reflecting passively. This creates a vibrant dialogue between the public and the art, leading to a deeper understanding of many historical and social contexts.

Artists have always developed their creative approaches and new means of expression to reflect or allude to their time. A notable example is Pop Art of the 1960s. Using the vocabulary of mass media and advertising, this art movement reflected consumer culture and the rapid pace of modern society.

Digital art, with its 3D worlds (augmented and virtual reality), video and sound installations, and electronic literature—computer poetry, mobile phone novels, and expanded e-books—provides fresh ideas for postmodernism. These new forms of art reflect the ongoing exploration of the boundaries of artistic production as well as a commentary on current technological progress.

Digital art presents a challenge to continuously rethink and broaden our perspective on art and creativity. It offers a compelling outlook on future artistic expression and inspires us to explore the possibilities of modern technologies.

Following this, art can be interpreted as a living dialogue that guides our understanding of the past and our reflection on the present. In this sense, it motivates us to delve deeper into the subject matter, be it through viewing art, visiting exhibitions, or studying further sources of information.

Philosophical reflections

At this point, we would like to endeavor to understand the reflections of famous thinkers regarding the philosophy of art.

1. According to Plato, art was merely the manual realization of a copy of an object, which in turn represented a copy of the idea of ​​the object itself, visible only to philosophers.
2. Unlike Plato, who viewed it as a copy of an existing copy, Aristotle something new emerging in it: “Through art, all those things are created whose form previously existed in the mind.”
3. Benedetto Croce viewed the work of art as a form of lyrical intuition that unfolds in the mind and is clearly distinct from its material implementation and realization.
4. Kant, on the other hand, was firmly convinced that art is defined by a multitude of clearly recognizable and formal characteristics. These characteristics can be recognized through specific intellectual faculties such as taste and aesthetics, and thus evoke pleasure.

Famous philosophers like Plato and Kant each offered their own assessments and formulated definitions for the concept of art and for classifying artworks. This illustrates that this concept has always evoked emotions and generated great interest.

It is inextricably linked to humans, as it influences their perception of reality.

What is art and what isn't? A legal classification

Besides defining the word, it is also interesting to know that artists and creative works enjoy artistic freedom fundamental right protected by the constitution (Art. 5 para. 3 sentence 1 GG) .

Several definitions of art exist in legal scholarship. The legal assessment of what is considered art depends on which definition is used and how it is interpreted.

First, however, it must be emphasized that we are not free to personally label as art what we consider to be art based on our personal opinion, without this having any objective validity. The state explicitly does not have the authority to define art.

There should be no state authority that decides what counts as art and what does not. The state must not presume to determine which art forms are acceptable or what level of quality they should have.

Nevertheless, for legal reasons, art needs a certain definition to enable the actual exercise of artistic freedom. This definition serves as the basis for its application in court proceedings and judicial matters. For this reason, various fundamental concepts have been developed:

a) Formal concept of art

According to the formal definition of art, anything can be considered art if it can be assigned to a specific art form. Examples include painting, sculpture, and theater. Hybrid forms are also meant to fall into this category.

b) Material concept of art

The Federal Constitutional Court (BVerfG) has defined the concept of art in terms of its content. According to this definition, art is considered the creative process in which the artist's impressions, experiences, and perceptions are directly visualized through a specific formal language.

Or to put it another way:

Art is the free and creative expression in which the artist directly conveys his impressions, experiences and perceptions through a specific formal language.”

c) Open concept of art

According to the prevailing view, a flexible concept of art should be used. This open concept defines the characteristic feature of an artistic expression as its ability, based on its diverse message, to continually reveal further-reaching meanings through ongoing interpretation.

This results in a virtually inexhaustible and multi-stage transmission of information.

d) Doctrine of third-party recognition

Accordingly, art encompasses what a knowledgeable outsider would describe as such.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Can machines create art?

Recent developments in digital technologies and artificial intelligence significantly shaped the art landscape and put the contemporary concept of art to the test.

The question of whether can create true art

The question of the level of originality in creative design, as well as copyright, still needs to be clarified with regard to the production of art by machines and algorithms.

According to the Duden dictionary is an act of creative design . This does not exclude the use of algorithms, especially since Aristotle provided a comprehensive definition of the term over 2,000 years ago:

Art completes what nature cannot achieve, or imitates it.”

The Greek polymath emphasizes, particularly in the last part of his statement, an important artistic activity: copying . In doing so, he refutes, millennia before the invention of AI, one of the most important arguments against the artistic use of artificial intelligence: namely, that AI cannot be creative, but only imitates learned styles.

Consequently, common definitions do not preclude the possibility that machines can also produce creative works. This is especially true since people who consume art often cannot even distinguish between " , " "machine-made," and hybrid forms – assuming we even consider this a possibility.

How does generative AI perceive art? An experiment in visualization

An interesting experiment with the Generative AI Tool “Neuroflash” yielded the following results as an interpretation of the text prompt “ a visualisation of the definition of art itself from an aesthetic, formal and philosophic point of view, abstract, surrealistic, fantasy, open mind” as a text-to-image generator:

These three visualizations of an abstract concept by an artificial intelligence provide an incredible level of detail that only becomes fully apparent upon closer inspection.

I hope this concise yet clear definition of art has made it easier for you to enter the world of art.

List of sources:

Literature:

• The Great Oxford Dictionary , Third Edition, Cornelsen Publishing, ISBN-10: 0194406067
• Michael Hauskeller : What is Art?: Positions of Aesthetics from Plato to Danto , ISBN-10: 3406657095
• Reinold Schmücker: What is Art? A Foundation, Klostermann Red Series, Volume 70, ISBN-10: 3465041976
• Stefan Jordan / Jürgen Müller : Basic Concepts of Art History (Reclam's Universal Library), ISBN-10: 3150195594
• Susanna Partsch : Introduction to the Study of Art History , ISBN-10: 3150143020
• Hildegard Kretschmer : Lexicon of Symbols and Attributes in Art: 800 entries , ISBN-10: 9783150195666
   

Website:

• Kraatz Academy – Understanding Law Made Easy : What is Art and What Isn't?, https://akademie-kraatz.de/de/was-ist-kunst-und-was-nicht.htm
• DWDS – the Digital Dictionary of the German Language, https://www.dwds.de/
• Laws on the Internet : Article 5 of the Basic Law – Individual provision, https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/gg/art_5.html
• Wikipedia : Art