SOC461 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Ancient Greek Temple, Yoruba Art, Semiotics
13 Dec 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Soc 461 – September 27, 2016 : Geertz
• Social scientists, by definition, look at social context of art – i.e. outside the classical triad.
o What is the Artist as a social role, relative to others?
o What sort of people consume art, and in what circumstances?
o What makes art as a social institution appear autonomous relative to society as large?
Why make this claim?
• Today, evidence from anthropology will suggest that the autonomy of art is a soscio-historical
anomaly.
• 1. Is art autonomous? What is the social situation of art?
• 2.
1. Where do e do art?
• Have you visited an art gallery or gone to the theatre recently? How did you behave, compared
to (say) seeing a band you like?
o Appreciative. Formal, versus a casual concert. From the context/platform of a gallery or
museum, we are looking at objects with that notion in mind.
• How would you look at an ancient Greek temple, or a traditional decorative dagger in a
museum, compared to their original users.
o Obviously the context that the audience perceives objects is different from the way that
the creator visualized it and connected with it.
1b. The Home of Art
Contemporary Western Art
• Usually viewed in gallery, museum, theatre, or other designated location.
• Artworks are to be looked at in special, designated circumstances.
• The artist displas fiished produt; e dot iterat i produig it.
Art in Other Societies
• Found throughout society and integrated into cultural practices
• Aesthetically pleasing objects made for use in rituals or everyday life
• Aesthetic experiences may involve participation by audience
• Geertz and Danto point out the anomalousness of presenting art in galleries and suchlike: in
other ultures, ites that e ould reogize as Art are ofte itegrated ito eerda life.
• Institutions devoted exclusively to presenting objects in detached ways in order for us to
appreciate them are unusual.
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Why make this claim: today, evidence from anthropology will suggest that the autonomy of art is a soscio-historical anomaly, 1. How did you behave, compared to (say) seeing a band you like: appreciative. Contemporary western art: usually viewed in gallery, museum, theatre, or other designated location, artworks are to be looked at in special, designated circumstances, the artist displa(cid:455)s fi(cid:374)ished produ(cid:272)t; (cid:449)e do(cid:374)(cid:859)t i(cid:374)tera(cid:272)t i(cid:374) produ(cid:272)i(cid:374)g it. Institutions devoted exclusively to presenting objects in detached ways in order for us to appreciate them are unusual: these institutions involve taking objects out of their usual context and presenting them in isolation. Kant: we all share the same universal faculties of cognition, whe(cid:374) (cid:449)e look at art, (cid:449)e appre(cid:272)iate ge(cid:374)eral (cid:858)purposi(cid:448)e(cid:374)ess (cid:449)ithout purpose(cid:859) that all (cid:272)a(cid:374) see. Judgement of beauty is universal: all rationally-sensuous beings share it. Baxandall/geertz: ways of looking are culturally shaped and acquired as skills. Looking at art requires particular abilities to identify specific forms and proportions.
