Midterm Questions

by joshuakhalfin

Midterm Questions

1) Should a photo of something be considered the artistic piece; or should the actual thing being photographed be considered the art?

2) Is the emotion brought upon due to art the real epitome of the beauty of the piece? or is the actual artwork the beauty?

3) Can a sociopath truly appreciate the beauty of art if there needs to be an emotional connection?

4 comments

1 Norma Sutton { 11.04.14 at 11:53 pm }: To answer question number one… I think that maybe both should be considered art. the thing that is being photographed can very well be art by itself, in person. Taking a photo of it can also be a work of art. The photographer does something in order to capture the artwork and then the photo itself will be art… I think, in some way.
2 Jeanette Eliezer { 11.12.14 at 12:54 am }: To question #1- I don’t know if you’re referring to Duchamp’s “In Advance of a Broken Arm,” but in response to a case like that I would say: sometimes the photograph itself is the art. As in, to Duchamp, the shovel wasn’t the art- I think we suggested in class that perhaps the actual photograph represents the fact that nothing is real anymore nowadays. In that case, the shovel wouldn’t really have anything to do with it- it’s the picture itself that conveys a message. So in general, photography can capture a scene or an item, and through that convey the message or idea- it may not always be that the object being captured is powerful in itself.
3 Jeanette Eliezer { 11.12.14 at 12:55 am }: And #3 is a really interesting question. Hm.
4 Justin Varughese { 12.18.14 at 10:00 am }: I think a sociopath would be able to appreciate the beauty that is conveyed through art, just as we do. However, I don’t think that it would be seen to be the same type of appreciation normal people give. We might not even consider it appreciation. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the sociopath doesn’t appreciate. So, there would be no way of knowing unless we get inside one of their heads.