Emma Robinson

TOK Art Questions

1. How would you go about trying to explain to the Martians the di eren!e between art and non" art# And how would you try to !on$in!e them the $alue o art# % would de ine the three !riteria or art& the intent o the artist' the response o the spe!tator' and the (uality o the art. )ot all art has all o these !hara!teristi!s' but all art must ha$e at least two. % would !on$in!e them o the $alue o art by showing them how art a e!ts people emotionally' and how art a e!ts the a$erage person. *. +ho is belie$ed to ha$e !reated the ,as!aux bull and other animals in the !a$es# +hen were the images drawn in the !a$es# +hat is that time period !alled# -rehistori! people !reated the ,as!aux bull and his !ohorts about twenty thousand years ago' in the paleolithi! era. .. /e ine aestheti!s. Aestheti!s is the study o beauty and the arts. 0. 1se the word aestheti!s in a senten!e. 2omething may be aestheti!ally pleasing' li3e a sunset' but this does not mean it is art. 4. +hat are the our main (uestions this !hapter will answer# 1. +hat is art# *. Are aestheti! 5udgments ob5e!ti$e or sub5e!ti$e# .. How do the arts !ontribute to our 3nowledge o the world# 0. +hat are the similarities and di eren!es between the arts and the s!ien!es# 6. +hat are the three possible !riteria or naming something art# 1. The intention o the artist *. The (uality o the wor3 .. The response o the spe!tators 7. +hi!h o the ollowing would you !lassi y as art# 8i$e reasons or your !hoi!e. Item -ottery 9es Is it Art? Why? -eople interpret it as art' and its (uality is high enough or it to be art.

Item Manu a!tured pots and pans )o

Is it Art?

Why? )o one intends it as art' and no one interprets it as art. Also' it has low artisti! (uality. :allerinas intend their dan!e to be art' and it is high (uality ;usually<. % it is done or the !ompetition part' no. :ut i it is done or the o!us on mo$ement' yes. 2o!!er is played to win' not or art. )atural things !annot be art. There is no intent to ma3e the snapshot artisti!. The intent is to !reate art' and the (uality is high. )atural things !annot be art. )atural things !annot be art. There is no intent to ma3e the drawing artisti!. The artist is attempting to !ommuni!ate something through her drawing. The artist is attempting to !ommuni!ate something through her drawing. The point is to sell ti!3ets to the opera. The point is to ma3e money rom sales o songs.

:allet

9es

8ymnasti!s

Maybe

2o!!er The 8rand =anyon A holiday snapshot o the 8rand =anyon A painting o the 8rand =anyon A beauti ul a!e A ro!3 that happens to loo3 li3e a a!e. A !hild>s drawing o a a!e. An artist>s drawing o a a!e in the nai$e style o a !hild. A !ari!ature

)o )o )o 9es )o )o )o 9es

9es

Opera Rap Musi!

)o )o

Item A pie!e o musi! generated by a !omputer :ird song The Mona Lisa )o )o 9es

Is it Art?

Why? Art is inherently human? the !omputer is not human. )atural things !annot be art. E$en though its intention was not to be art' it is high (uality enough' and enough people !laim it is art' so it is art. There is no inherent art in this.

A !opy o the Mona Lisa with a mousta!he and beard added. Hamlet

)o

9es

The intent was to !ommuni!ate a message through a medium' and it is re!ogni@ed as art. The point is to in!rease ratings. The intent is not art. The intent is not art. %t depends on i he is trying to !ommuni!ate something with his !an$as' or i he is 5ust ha$ing un. )atural things !annot be art. The point is to !reate something o aestheti! $alue or people to en5oy. )atural things !annot be art. There is no artisti! intentC The (uality here is so low % ha$e to say it is not art.

A TA soap opera A nursery rhyme A 5o3e A man dripping paint randomly on a !an$as

)o )o )o Maybe

A mon3ey dripping paint randomly on a !an$as. Blower Arranging

)o 9es

Blowers growing in a ield A bu!3et and mop le t in an art gallery by a !leaner A bu!3et and mop exhibited in an art gallery by an artist

)o )o )o

Item A meal made by a amous !he Maybe

Is it Art?

Why? /oes the !he intend his meal to be art#

D. Os!ar +ilde on!e said EAll art is (uite useless.F +hat do you thin3 he meant by this# /o you agree with him# +hy or why not# -ra!ti!ally spea3ing' art is useless. %t does not put ood on the table' or build anything' or ix anything. Howe$er' art does eed us emotionally and spiritually. Art allows some to express their emotions in a tangible way' while allowing others to !onne!t. Art is impra!ti!al' but use ul. G. /o you !onsider !oo3ery to be art# How is it similar to other art orms' and how does it di er rom them# Elaborate !oo3ery is art' be!ause it has a $ery high (uality' and the response o spe!tators is typi!ally a good one. Howe$er' it does not ha$e the intent to !ommuni!ate something grander than what is on the sur a!e. The purpose o !oo3ery is to !reate a dish that is pleasing to the pallet' not to !ommuni!ate a message about the meaning o li e. %t di ers rom EregularF art in that it is produ!ed solely or a !ommer!ial purpose. 1H. %magine that Tra!y Emin>s wor3 My Bed !omes up or sale again. +ould you be happy about your tax dollars being used to pur!hase this or a lo!al art gallery# -lease explain. % would be displeased i tax dollars were used to pay or a wor3 o art' be!ause art is the most impra!ti!al thing on earth. Art is not going to pa$e roads' or und edu!ation. Tax dollars should be used to help the !ommunity. :uying this painting will not deeply help the !ommunity. There are better uses or the money. 11. A!!ording to one de inition' Ebeauty is the proper !on ormity o the parts to one another and the wholeF. /o you agree with this de inition' or !an you suggest a better one# % thin3 that this de inition o beauty is ar too !ompli!ated' and it does not ta3e into a!!ount the inherent sub5e!ti$ity o beauty. % would reword the de inition as ollows& E:eauty is the aestheti! appeal o an ob5e!t' substan!e' sound' taste' smell' or texture to a parti!ular person.F 1*. /o you thin3 there are uni$ersal standards o beauty' or do you thin3 they $ary rom !ountry to !ountry# There is no uni$ersal standard o beauty. One only has to !ompare art rom Iapan to art rom Bran!e to identi y that the two !ultures ha$e $ery di erent !on!eptions o beauty. Bren!h art is $ery la$ish' with lots o hea$y !olors and textures. Iapanese art is lighter' with more attention gi$en to details than to the style o the art. Howe$er' the Bren!h and the Iapanese $alue their art e(ually. This pro$es the absen!e o a uni$ersal standard o beauty.

1.. How !an you re$eal the beauty in something that has not been pre$iously been seen as beauti ul# 8i$e an example. The Mona ,isa was painted as a portrait' and at the time was not !onsidered art. )ow' it is possibly the most amous painting on Earth. -eople ga$e it beauty based on its !reator. 10. =ompare the ollowing two di!tionary de initions o musi!' the irst rom 1G11' the se!ond rom 1G70. A& JArt o !ombining sound with a $iew to beauty o orm and expression o emotion.F :& JThe s!ien!e or art o ordering tines or sounds in su!!ession' in !ombination' and in temporal relationships.> +hat does this suggest to you about the !hanging role o beauty in the arts# These two $ery di erent de initions o musi! suggests that beauty is be!oming less important to the arts? the goal o art is to !ommuni!ate a bigger purpose. 14. =an something be a great wor3 o art and be disturbing or ugly or disgusting# 9es' something !an be disgusting and still !onsidered art. As long as a pie!e o artwor3 spea3s to someone' then to that person' it !an be art. Art does not ha$e to be art to e$eryone to be !onsidered art. 16. +hat do you thin3 o the painting on page ..4# % it is any good' why should its $alue depend on who painted it# % personally thin3 that it is good' despite whoe$er painted it. Howe$er' % belie$e people $alue it less be!ause the artist !opied the style o another artist' whi!h to them is inex!usable. He also tried to pass o the art as that o Aermeer. 17. +hy is an exa!t !opy o a painting worth ar less than the original# =an this di eren!e be 5usti ied' or is it simply an irrational pre5udi!e# An exa!t !opy o a painting is worth less than the original or no logi!al reason. The paintings are identi!al' yet one is $alued o$er another. This suggests that what people $alue is not the painting itsel ' but the a!t that it !ame rom one parti!ular artist. The drasti!ally di erent $alues o the paintings is irrational. 1D. +hi!h is most important to you in a pie!e o artwor3# :eauty' s3ill and training' !ontent' originality' response o others' or the !ommission# +hy# -ersonally' % pre er beauty in art. % am not an artist' nor am % an art !riti!. % do not !laim to be an expert in art' nor do % parti!ularly en5oy $isual art. 2!ulptures and paintings do not Espea3F to me. There ore' % 5ust loo3 or beauty in art. % it is appealing to me' % li3e it. 1G. +hat do you thin3 o -i!asso>s Bulls Head# %s this art# +hy or why not#

% do not !onsider -i!asso>s Bulls Head to be art' be!ause % !onsider it to be 5ust a !ouple pie!es o metal pushed together. % !ould do that' and it wouldn>t be art. Howe$er' Bulls Head is !onsidered art by some people' be!ause they identi y some meaning within the art. )either o us are wrong or right' as art is the most sub5e!ti$e thing 3nown to man. *H. /o you thin3 that the idea o expert opinion is more problemati! in the arts than in the s!ien!es# 8i$e reasons. EExpert opinionF is almost impossible in art' be!ause e$erything is so sub5e!ti$e. A person !an be trained in the arts' whi!h ma3es them !ertainly more (uali ied than me to 5udge art. Howe$er' an expert !annot dismiss art as being Enot artF' be!ause to someone' it might be Eart.F %n s!ien!e' there are set laws and rules. %n art' there are $ery ew guidelines. *1 /OE2 )OT EK%2T. **. +hi!h o the musi! produ!ed in the last ten years do you thin3 will still be admired and listened to in a hundred years# 8i$e reasons. There is an episode o /o!tor +ho' in whi!h the earth is going to all into the sun. The /o!tor and his !ompanion ha$e tra$eled into the uture to witness this e$ent' and they are attending a gathering to wat!h the demise o the planet. At the gathering' someone begins to play a Etraditional earth ballad'F whi!h turns out to be a :ritney 2pears song. Howe$er' % do not thin3 :ritney 2pears musi! will be around in ten years. Musi! that spo3e to people' and musi! that tou!hed the li$es o many people in this generation' will be the musi! that remains or years to !ome. *.. Tiger +oods is one o the best gol ers in the world. %s this a a!t o an opinion# How is it similar to and how is it di erent rom the 3inds o 5udgments we ma3e in the arts# The statement is a a!t' not an opinion. Howe$er' a similar statement about an artist would be an opinion. This is be!ause in gol ' there is a set series o rules and a set ob5e!ti$e. Tiger +oods meets this ob5e!ti$e $ery well. %n art' there are no rules and no de initi$e ob5e!ti$e. There ore' a statement about the ability o an artist is only an opinion. *0. Mary Todd ,in!oln probably hated the play Our American Cousin due to the a!t that her husband was 3illed during it. This does not ma3e the play a bad one. 8i$e an example o something you are EdisinterestedF in due to a negati$e !onne!tion to it. How has this !hanged your opinion# % generally disli3e -i!asso' not be!ause % ind his wor3 to be bad' but be!ause in the se!ond grade' we had a !lass sna3e named -i!asso' and % hate sna3es. One time' he es!aped rom his terrarium' and as lu!3 would ha$e it' % ound him in my des3. %t was a traumati! experien!e. This has !aused me to ha$e an irrational disli3e or anything that has to do with -i!asso.

*4. +rite down se$en ad5e!ti$es that !ome to mind when you loo3 at the top painting on page .01. /o the same or the se!ond painting. 1. -ea!e ul' smooth' (uiet' !alm' rural' soothing' sunset *. Iagged' shadows' bro3en' !on usion' ear' separation' pointy *6. +here were Komar and Melamid born and where did they be!ome !iti@ens later in li e# They were born in Russia' but immigrated to %srael. *7. +hat are their ull names# Alexander Melamid and Aitaly Komar. *D. +hat did they go to s!hool or# They went to s!hool or art. *G. :etween 1GG4"1GG7 they !ondu!ted an online sur$ey. +hat were they polling people about# They polled people around the world about what they ound most aestheti!ally pleasing. .H. +hat were the results o their sur$ey# They dis!o$ered that most people ind similar things to be EgoodF art. .1. /o you belie$e that their EresultsF a!!urately re le!t how people loo3 at art# +hy or why not# % do not agree with them' be!ause the disparity between art o di erent !ultures is so great. % e$ery !ulture $alued the same things in art' then all art would loo3 relati$ely similar.