Art has many different functions in history, so it is difficult to abstract the purpose of art into a single concept. This does not mean that the purpose of art is vague, but there are many different and unique reasons for the creation of art.
The following will list the purpose of an art, which is divided into two categories: unmotivated and motivated (Levi-Strauss).
First, there is no motive for the purpose
Static art refers to those arts that are an indispensable part of human beings, transcend individuals or are not created for specific purposes. From this perspective, art and creativity come from human nature, so they go beyond the practical level.
Human instinct for harmony, balance and rhythm: this artistic level is not an action or an object, but an internal appreciation of balance and harmony (beauty), so it is one of the basic levels of human beings, not just a practical level.
Mysterious experience: art provides individuals with the possibility to experience the relationship between individuals and the universe. This kind of experience is often unmotivated, just like appreciating art, music or poetry.
Expression of imagination: Art provides a way to express imagination, and this way has no grammar, so it is not influenced by spoken or written language. Words are sequential, and each word has a definite meaning, while art provides many forms, symbols and concepts, and its meaning can be changed.
Ritual and symbolic functions: In many cultures, there is art in ceremonies, performances and dances, which is a kind of decoration or symbol. These usually have no specific practical purpose. Anthropologists believe that these are part of culture, and most of them are not provided by individuals, but the result of many generations' changes, and are also related to the relationship between this culture and the universe.
Second, the purpose of motivation.
Motivational art refers to the art created for a specific purpose. It may be for the purpose of political change, expressing views on a social problem, expressing specific feelings or attitudes without motivation, stating personal psychology, describing another thing, selling products, or as a communication tool.
Communication: Art is a tool of communication, and a lot of communication is inspired by another person, so this is an inspired purpose.
Entertainment: Art generally produces certain emotions or attitudes, such as relaxing people who appreciate art or providing entertainment.
Avantgarde, political change: One definition of art in the early 20th century is that political change is brought by visual images. Artistic movements that achieve this goal-such as Dadaism, Surrealism, Structuralism and Abstract Expressionism-are called avant-garde art.
Art as a "free zone": the function of avoiding social censure. Contemporary art emphasizes the tolerance of cultural differences and its liberation function (social investigation, action, subversion and deconstruction), so it is more open in research and experiment.
The art of social investigation, subversion and/or anarchism: similar to the art of political change, subversion or deconstruction will raise specific social problems without specific political purposes. At this time, the role of art is only to criticize one aspect of society.
Art on social issues: Art can be used to arouse people's attention to many social events. Many artistic activities are aimed at raising awareness of autism, cancer, human trafficking and many other issues.
The role of art in psychology and therapy: art therapists, psychotherapists and clinical psychologists will also use art as a tool, which is called art therapy.
Art for publicity or commercialization: Art can be a form of publicity, which gradually influences people's ideas or emotions. Art can also be used as a part of sales skills, and it is also necessary to influence ideas or emotions. At this time, the purpose of art is to influence readers and produce specific emotional or psychological reactions to specific things or concepts.
Art is an indicator of evolutionary fitness: some people think that the ability of the human brain far exceeds the ability needed to survive in the ancient environment. There is an argument in evolutionary psychology that the human brain and its related characteristics (such as art and creativity) are similar to the tail of a male peacock.
The gorgeous tail of the male peacock is used to attract the opposite sex. According to this theory, better artistic expression can attract the opposite sex, which is very important in evolution.
brief introduction
Art refers to the combination and balance of skills, will, imagination, experience and other comprehensive humanistic factors, creating the expression of objects, environments, images, actions or sounds with aesthetics. It also refers to the process that human beings share beautiful feelings or profound emotions and consciousness with others to express their existing perceptions, precipitate and show individual or group experiences.
Extended data:
Scope and classification
Traditionally, art includes the following categories: literature and art (including poetry, drama, novels, etc. ), visual arts (painting, sketching, sculpture, etc. ), graphic design, plastic arts (such as sculpture, modeling), decorative arts (such as mosaics, interior design, etc. ) and performing arts (drama, dance, advertising, music, etc. ).
Art and science
From17th century to18th century in Europe, art and science entered a critical period of knowledge accumulation, mutual inspiration and common development. This process makes the finished products of art and science an important symbol of western humanistic thought and civilization.
The encyclopedia exhibited in the European Enlightenment is also a dictionary-named work co-edited with the new state of human groups caused by art and science.
The origin of a word
The word art in French and English comes from the ancient Greek Latin ars, which means "skill". Although it retains the original meaning, it also derives a broader meaning, including almost all creative knowledge closely related to life.
In Chinese, the word "art" first came from the Biography of Wen Yuan in the Later Han Dynasty. Serina Liu mentioned "the skill of collating the Five Classics, biographies of philosophers and schools of thought contending", but the art at that time refers to the floorboard of the six arts and the skill of Shu Shu and Fang Shu, which is different from modern art.
As far as the scope of study is concerned, the knowledge of literature, painting, music, dance, sculpture, architecture, drama and film is enough to set up corresponding departments independently. In addition, some emerging art fields, such as design, photography, electronic games (electronic games) and experimental art, are gradually accepted by academia and the public as separate projects, and many art colleges have set up related majors.
References:
Baidu encyclopedia-art