![]() In short, to become a masterpiece, an object must first become a work of art, an ahistorical purely aesthetic object. Even if they do the original context is lost and all that remains is the white wall of the museum. Even fewer understand why it was made and under which circumstances. It is safe to assume that few visitors care for the function that Mona Lisa served. Tourists visiting the Louvre most likely admire the painting either for its craftsmanship or ‘masterpiece’ status. Let’s take Leonardo da Vinci ’s Mona Lisa as an example. This institution, according to Dewey, serves a peculiar function it separates art from “its conditions of origin and operation of experience.” Artwork in the museum is cut off from its history and treated as a purely aesthetic object. In the modern age, art is no longer part of society but is exiled in the museum. Aesthetic theories served to further distance art by presenting it as something ethereal and disconnected from daily experience. In the temple, art and religion are not separated but connected.Īccording to Dewey, the break between art and daily life occurred when man declared art an independent field. Whatever aesthetic pleasure they offer serves to amplify the religious experience. These artworks do not satisfy a purely aesthetic function. Temples of all religions are filled with artworks of religious significance. Religious art is a great example of this. Besides, it retains its appeal until today as an insightful essay on art theory. The book was pivotal for the development of 20th-century American art and especially Abstract Expressionism. What is art? What is the relationship between art and science, art and society, and art and emotion? How is experience related to art? These are some of the questions answered in John Dewey’s Art as Experience (1934). Instead of looking at it from the side of the audience, Dewey explored art from the side of the creator. Dewey was among the first to view art differently. Unfortunately, the John Dewey theory of art has not received as much attention as the rest of the philosopher’s work. ![]() His theories on progressive education and democracy called for a radical democratic reorganization of education and society. John Dewey (1859-1952) was perhaps the most influential American philosopher of the 20 th century. (left) with Hands with Paint by Amauri Mejía, via Unsplash (right) Portrait of John Dewey, via Library of Congress, Washington D.C. ![]()
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