We began our course by discussing philosophical questions about art: What qualifies as Art? Can anything be Art? Or are there parameters/standards that determine if something is Art? What about Art vs. Pornographyis there a way to distinguish between the two? Must Art be useful, or if it is useful, can it still quality as Art? This is our context. For this topic, we are considering a somewhat different philosophical question about Art: Must Art be beautiful to qualify as Art? To explore this issue, first watch the following 60-minute video: Select three (3) points Scruton makes in the video to explore in your essay. Compare/contrast arguments for and against each of the three points from Scruton that you have chosen. Finally, argue for or against each point in a respectful tone (no name-calling or negative assumptions about character or motive) whether you agree or disagree with Scruton, and provide specific points to support your positions. Note: If you choose to discuss any visual works of art to support your points, provide live links or embed images (not to be included in page count). Section Two (same topic for all students) Topic: Select two paintings completed between 1870 and 2021 that are representative of their time(s) but not presented or discussed in our class, in your Discussion Posts, in the Hughes text, or in a reading or museum presentation. (Note: You can choose a painting by an artist presented or discussed in class or in the text as long as the painting itself has not been presented/discussed in our class or text.) If you have missed class sessions and are unsure whether your preferred paintings have been presented in class by me or in student presentations, email me to confirm as you will not get credit for writing on any painting that has already been covered in our text or in class. Embedding the paintings chosen in the exam itself is preferred; however, if you are not able to do so, be sure to email me links to the two paintings you have chosen to discuss. (Email me directly at liyer@.) Part One: Your first goal is to explain why and in what ways each painting represents or echoes the history, politics, ideas, beliefs, spirit and artistic movement of its time. This should culminate in an analysis of the similarities and differences between the two paintings based on all the elements listed above. Part Two: Your second goal is to address the following questions regarding the works you select while keeping in mind that art is a personal experience: ? What caught your attention about this art? ? What words would you use to describe this art? ? What (if anything) is beautiful about this work? ? What does the work remind you of? Why? ? Can you connect the artwork to your life and/or feelings? How? ? What message (if any) do you think the artist is trying to convey? ? Do you look at life any differently after seeing this work? How? Since these questions are designed to help you to consider your own thoughts about the works you have chosen, you may use 1st person (I, me, my)although not repetitivelyin this part of the essay. Do not write as if you are responding to questionsinstead, make it flow as you would a regular essay. The questions are guides to formulating your responses, and if you think that some of the questions do not apply to the works you have chosen, ignore them. You may also consider additional questions you wish to address if you think they are relevant.Show more
