Monday, February 9, 2009
Aesthetics
The philosophic branch of aesthetics deals with the value of sensory experiences. While the term “aesthetics” may be difficult to define, “aesthetic experience” is a slightly more concrete term with definable elements.
According to Abeles, Hoffer, and Klotman (1995, 74-76), there are six aspects of an aesthetic experience. First, it has no practical purpose; it is an end, not a means. Second, it involves feeling because there is a reaction. Third, it involves intellect: thought and awareness are necessary. Fourth, an aesthetic experience requires attention. Fifth, an aesthetic experience must actually be experienced, not described second-hand. And finally, aesthetic experiences result in “a richer and more meaningful life.”
Furthermore, the authors give reasons for aesthetic experiences occurring in “varying degrees of intensity” (Abeles, Hoffer, and Klotman 1995, 76). Aesthetic experiences do not have to be limited to just art work; the experience depends on the relationship between the object and the perceiver; different levels of education and interest will affect the aesthetic experience; and different cultural bias will also produce a different result.
Philosophers are in disagreement over why humans value aesthetic experiences. There are three pervading schools of thought: referentialism, expressionism and formalism/absolutism (Abeles, Hoffer, and Klotman 1995). Referentialists believe artwork is valued when it refers to things outside of the piece of art itself. For example, programmatic musical compositions can refer to text such as poetry or stories, and vocal music is particularly suited to telling a story outside of the music. However, this theory doesn’t transfer well to non-programmatic instrumental music.
The American philosopher and educator John Dewey (1859-1952) took an expressionist view of aesthetics in his 1934 publication Art and Experience, stating, “If all meanings could be adequately expressed by words, the arts of painting and music would not exist” (Abeles, Hoffer, and Klotman 1995, 71). Dewey believed the roots of aesthetic experiences are in commonplace experience: in “an experience” (defined separately from just “experience”), meanings and values drawn from previous experience and present circumstances join to form something immediately enjoyable (Field 2007). Dewey and other expressionists emphasize that although the artist may use emotion as a tool to “concentrate, clarify and vivify” these meanings, the artists’ emotions are not significant to the artwork: the “work of art” (versus “art product”) is realized through the “active engagement of an astute audience” and the feelings that are aroused in these recipients (Field 2007). Also of import to expressionists is the culture-specific emotions in deriving “an experience” from artwork: a piece of music that sounds “sad” to Western listeners might not be perceived that way by non-Western listeners.
Formalists believe aesthetic experiences are of value when one considers only the formal properties of a piece of art. For example, in music one might value the development of themes in sonata-allegro form without any concern to the emotion the melodies might arouse. The nineteenth-century philosopher Edward Hanslick summarizes the formalist approach: “The ideas which a composer expresses are mainly and primarily of a purely musical nature…. Definite feelings and emotions are unsusceptible of being embodied in music” (Abeles, Hoffer, and Klotman 1995, 72). Although it is unlikely that humans are able to separate emotion from aesthetic experience, music educators can take a formalist approach in teaching elements of music to help students better understand and appreciate a musical work of art.
Regardless of the philosophical approach one takes, Abeles, Hoffer and Klotman (1995) emphasize that “aesthetic experience” does not equate to “beauty,” citing the famous idea of beauty existing in the eye of the beholder.
Abeles, Harold F., Charles R. Hoffer, and Robert H. Klotman. Foundations of Music Education, 2nd ed. Belmont, CA: Thomas Higher Education, 1995.
Field, Richard. “John Dewey.” The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2007. http://www.iep.utm/edu/d/dewey.html (accessed February 15, 2009).
According to Abeles, Hoffer, and Klotman (1995, 74-76), there are six aspects of an aesthetic experience. First, it has no practical purpose; it is an end, not a means. Second, it involves feeling because there is a reaction. Third, it involves intellect: thought and awareness are necessary. Fourth, an aesthetic experience requires attention. Fifth, an aesthetic experience must actually be experienced, not described second-hand. And finally, aesthetic experiences result in “a richer and more meaningful life.”
Furthermore, the authors give reasons for aesthetic experiences occurring in “varying degrees of intensity” (Abeles, Hoffer, and Klotman 1995, 76). Aesthetic experiences do not have to be limited to just art work; the experience depends on the relationship between the object and the perceiver; different levels of education and interest will affect the aesthetic experience; and different cultural bias will also produce a different result.
Philosophers are in disagreement over why humans value aesthetic experiences. There are three pervading schools of thought: referentialism, expressionism and formalism/absolutism (Abeles, Hoffer, and Klotman 1995). Referentialists believe artwork is valued when it refers to things outside of the piece of art itself. For example, programmatic musical compositions can refer to text such as poetry or stories, and vocal music is particularly suited to telling a story outside of the music. However, this theory doesn’t transfer well to non-programmatic instrumental music.
The American philosopher and educator John Dewey (1859-1952) took an expressionist view of aesthetics in his 1934 publication Art and Experience, stating, “If all meanings could be adequately expressed by words, the arts of painting and music would not exist” (Abeles, Hoffer, and Klotman 1995, 71). Dewey believed the roots of aesthetic experiences are in commonplace experience: in “an experience” (defined separately from just “experience”), meanings and values drawn from previous experience and present circumstances join to form something immediately enjoyable (Field 2007). Dewey and other expressionists emphasize that although the artist may use emotion as a tool to “concentrate, clarify and vivify” these meanings, the artists’ emotions are not significant to the artwork: the “work of art” (versus “art product”) is realized through the “active engagement of an astute audience” and the feelings that are aroused in these recipients (Field 2007). Also of import to expressionists is the culture-specific emotions in deriving “an experience” from artwork: a piece of music that sounds “sad” to Western listeners might not be perceived that way by non-Western listeners.
Formalists believe aesthetic experiences are of value when one considers only the formal properties of a piece of art. For example, in music one might value the development of themes in sonata-allegro form without any concern to the emotion the melodies might arouse. The nineteenth-century philosopher Edward Hanslick summarizes the formalist approach: “The ideas which a composer expresses are mainly and primarily of a purely musical nature…. Definite feelings and emotions are unsusceptible of being embodied in music” (Abeles, Hoffer, and Klotman 1995, 72). Although it is unlikely that humans are able to separate emotion from aesthetic experience, music educators can take a formalist approach in teaching elements of music to help students better understand and appreciate a musical work of art.
Regardless of the philosophical approach one takes, Abeles, Hoffer and Klotman (1995) emphasize that “aesthetic experience” does not equate to “beauty,” citing the famous idea of beauty existing in the eye of the beholder.
Abeles, Harold F., Charles R. Hoffer, and Robert H. Klotman. Foundations of Music Education, 2nd ed. Belmont, CA: Thomas Higher Education, 1995.
Field, Richard. “John Dewey.” The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2007. http://www.iep.utm/edu/d/dewey.html (accessed February 15, 2009).
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