Art as Expression (cont.)

Art as Expression (cont.)

1. Croce

   • less importance of the communication of feelings and more on what the artist is actually trying to express
   • art is the expression of intuitions - basic sense-impressions combined with the artist's feelings and emotions
     • we never look at the world objectively, we look at it subjectively and emotionally
       • artists then re-create these experiences in their art
   • Turner The Scarlet Sunset

2. Collingwood

   • artists consciously create art in order to achieve a conscious purpose: the expression of emotions
   • art is essentially creative and imaginative
     • creating art is a conscious process however Collingwood allows for the artist to incorporate unconscious feelings and emotions that may affect imaginatively the work of art
   • art proper
     • purpose is to express emotions not to entertain or convey a moral/political/social message
       • Bellini's The Dead Christ Supported by Angels
       • Sadler's Battle of Waterloo
   • horror films are not art proper since its only purpose is to arouse fear in the audience
   • aesthetic response to art is not based on the direct arousal of emotion
     • a poem we consider sad does not necessarily make us sad
     • Two in Campagna by Browning
     • the audience does not have to agree with the artist's beliefs or share in their emotions

3. Objections to Collingwood and Croce

   • disregards emotionless art concentrated on form and architecture
     • Gropius' Bauhaus building
   • disregard ready-made object art which does not incorporate the artist's imagination
     • Duchamp's The Fountain
   • they both view mental processes as more valuable than the physical object which is the art in itself
     • ignores the importance of skill
     • if the true value of the art is in the mind of the artist this is inaccessible to the audience - undermines the value of art itself