November 25, 2010

What is Art?....(Is it Truly in the Eye of the Beholder?)

Happy Thanksgiving to reader's from the US!

One of the creativity blogs I'm following is Gurney Journey by Dinotopia creator James Gurney.  His latest post is of interest to my own journey here on Odyssey.  He explores philosopher Denis Dutton's theory of beauty based on Darwinian Theory.  Gurney shares a You Tube video of Dutton's theory in a TED lecture format featuring the white-board animation work of Andre Park .  He then evaluates that theory through  viewpoints from aesthetic philosopher Edmund Burke and author Leo Tolstoy's essay What is Art?

I found this discussion quite apt as I prepare my own question, "What is Creativity?".  I am inclined to find myself on the side of Gurney, and quote from his post here:
"Far more convincing—and useful— is Tolstoy’s notion that art is the deliberate transmission of emotion. It applies to dance, theater, painting, music, and all other forms. And it is immensely practical to the working artist, because it provides a clear test for the aesthetic value of a particular work."
The following sources include a link to the post on Gurney Journey in its entirety, and the sources used in that entry.


From the blog of Gurney Journey: Darwinian Theory of Beauty
"What is Art?" Essay, by Leo Tolstoy, 1897, Wikipedia
Aesthetic Philosophy -including that of Edmund Burke from Wikipedia
Dennis Dutton TED lecture from You Tube
What is a TED lecture? (Technology Entertainment and Design) on Wikipedia

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