The relationship between the value of artwork and context

Group 114- Lam, Estelle- Ho, Sin Yu, Bonnie- Law, Yuen Yu, Joey- Wong, Ka Chon, Henry

Game

Outline of presentation• Part I: Introduction: - Definition of key words - Objective - Focus - Hypothesis• Part II: Aesthetic Theories - Disinterest Theory - Formalism - Contextualism• Part III: Research

- Focus Group - Interview

• Part IV: Conclusion and Recommendations

Introduction: Definitions of key words

1. Artwork2. Value of artwork3. Context4. Aesthetic experience

Definition: Artwork

• Artwork is defined as art that is generally accepted as art (e.g. Artwork in Art museum)

Definition: Value of artwork

• Intrinsic• Extrinsic

Definition: Value of art

• Intrinsic value- Art is valuable in itself

and is independent of what people think of it

- Separate from any subjective state, any reference to the audience

- Accessible through: - Sensory means

Mave, Broken Art, 2010

Definition: Value of art

• Extrinsic Value:- Instrumental value - A means of achieving

something else E.g. Didactic, political , religious etc.

- Accessible through: - audience - environment

Definition: Context

• Background of the creation of artwork (E.g. The background of the artist, the time of creation)

• Background of the display of artwork(E.g. Venues and Occasions)

• Personal experience of audienceNOT: Title/Description/Lyrics

Definition: Aesthetic experiences

• A person's interaction and response to a piece of art work, including its visual, literal and expressive qualities

• With all other issues derive from the artwork

• Aesthetic experience and art appreciation is different, the latter being one part of the former

Objective

• Investigate people’s approach in appreciating artwork

Focus

• Approaches in aesthetic experience• NOT definition of art or function of art

Hypothesis:

• Aesthetic experience will enhance if context is taken into consideration

• The extrinsic value of artwork will increase while the intrinsic value of artwork will remain unchanged if context is taken into consideration

∴The value of artwork will increase if context is taken into consideration

Part II: Aesthetic Theories

• Disinterest Theory• Formalism• Contextualism

Disinterest Theory

• An approach or attitude to art• Originated in the 18th century notion of

disinterest• “Not motivated by self-concern”(Lord

Shaftesbury) - disinterest <-> uninterested

Characteristics of being Disinterest

1. Suspend the functional or instrumental purpose of the art work

2. Consider the art work out of relation with any other object, state, or property

3. Includes only those factors, that either are - psychologically unavoidable or - constitute factual knowledge about

4. The audience is interested in the object as a focus of attention.

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

“When I am appreciating a painting aesthetically, I am not thinking about how much money it's worth, or whether it is a portrait of a family member, or even about who painted it, except in so far as knowing the painter helps me see what's in the work. These non-aesthetic interests are extraneous to my appreciation of the painting. Rather I am pleased by the painting just for what it is, apart from anything I may get out of it. In fact I do not even take an ethical interest in the painting's subject (that is, any ethical interest is separate from this disinterested pleasure I take in the painting).” (Kant, Critique of Judgment (1790) )

Art for Art's Sake

• "L'art pour l'art" French slogan in 19th century• Aestheticism

Formalism

• First proposed by theorists from ancient Greece (Plato, Aristotle, etc.)

• Formalism dominated modern art from the late 1800s through the 1960s.

Piet Mondrian, Composition No. 10, 1939-42, oil on canvas, 80 x 73 cm, private collection.

Jerry Reynolds XenophobicAcrylic on canvasSize: 20" x 33" Number 1292

Jerry Reynolds Beach PartyAcrylic on canvasSize: 28" x 21" Number 2181

Characteristics of Formalism

• Emphasizes on compositional elements e.g. color, line, shape and texture rather than context and content.

• Art does not serve a function other than as a source of pure, relationless contemplation

• Assessment or appreciation of an object through formal properties that are accessible by the senses

Piet Mondrian (1872-1944)

• “The essence of painting is line and color. Paintings must be as flat as the surface they are painted on.”

Composition No. 10, 1939-42, oil on canvas, 80 x 73 cm, private collection.

Norfork Art Department, Norfork High School, 2012

Contextualism

• Extrinsic approach in aesthetic experience• Richness of aesthetic experience from context

in various perspective• Maximise understanding and value of artwork

Contextualism

• Examine the work of art in the context of the world within which it was created:

- historical or cultural circumstances - In the light of other works by the same artist

• motivations and imperatives• comparative analysis of themes

- Consideration of the desires and prejudices of its patrons and sponsors - Approaches of the creator's colleagues and teachers

Part IV: Research

Research method

Qualitative Research• Study of social behaviors that are best understood

within natural setting, as opposed to the artificial settings of experiments and surveys

• Art is difficult to quantify• Aesthetic experience is individual and subjective

Focus Group (General) Individual interview (Specific)

Focus group - Objective:

• Understand the effect of context of artwork in aesthetic experience among the participants

• Observe the interactions among participants in aesthetic experience

Focus group - Process

• 1. Show pictures of artwork in disinterest way 2. Add context to the pictures of artwork

3. General discussion about the approaches in aesthetic experience

• Both verbal and non-verbal behavior is observed

• Focus group discussion is recorded

Vincent Willem van Gogh, 1888 Gade and Jason Sangster, Ice Buddha 2006, Contemporary Art Museum in Sydney

Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack, Desolation 1941, Contemporary Art Museum in Sydney

Students from Universities in China, Goddess of Democracy, 1989

Focus group - Sampling• 2 groups, 4 people per group• CUHK students• Age range: 20 – 25• Represent well-educated individuals

Group 1 Group 21. Male (ECON/1)2. Female (MUSC/2)3. Female (IFAA/3)4. Female (FAAS/1)

1. Male (BCHE/2)2. Female (ENGE/2)3. Female (NURS/4)4. Male (MUSC/ Mphil year 1)

Focus group – Strengths & Limitations

Strengths Limitations

- Small group size allows even opportunities of speaking

- No dominant participant- Participants do not know each other in

advance- More in-depth discussion- Comparison among university students

from different fields

- Low representativness- Participants are all CUHK students- Unequal distribution of male and

female in Group 1- Some participants knew the context of

artwork in advance- The fact that the discussion is recorded

may cause reservation in speaking

Focus group: Observation

• Distinerest part: Interpreted arts with tones, proportions,

composition(Note: FAAS student was more familiar with the formality of artwork)

Tried to guess the meaning behind Could not understand installation art

Focus group: Observation

Contextual part Political/historical/religious meaning Could understand the art in the way that the

artists desired

Focus group: Analysis Participants tended to use contextualized

approach first if the context is well-known Context is not necessary for aesthetic

experience, but context helps audience gain better understanding of the artwork, especially those unfamiliar or abstract artwork

Context, especially background of display, makes a great difference in understanding arts

Interview - Objective

• Gain deeper opinion of participants with and without art background

• Compare with the result in focus group • Explore reasons behind the approaches in

aesthetic experience

Interview - Process

• Individual Interview

• Both verbal and non-verbal behavior is observed

• Conversation is recorded

Interview - Sampling

• 4 people, 2 females with art background, 2 males without art background

• Female ( Age around 50-60, Doctor in Art Education, Artist)

• Male (Age around 50-60, Retired)• Female (Age 21, Year 3 Student in CUHK)• Male (Age 20, Year 3 Student in CUHK)

Interview – Strengths and Limitations

Strengths Limitations

- More interactions between interviewer and interviewee allow more in-depth opinion

- Unequal distribution of male and female among participants with or without art background

- Subjective - The fact that the conversation is

recorded may cause reservation in speaking

Interview – Result in General

• All agree taking context into consideration will increase the value of artwork

• All agree that change of environment will change their aesthetic experience

• All agree that personal experience will affect aesthetic experience

• All agree that they would like to know more about the context given the condition that they are either interested in or not fully understanding the artwork

• All agree that people will inevitably consider context first due to the high reputation of the artwork, promotion of media or opinion from friends

Interview – Particulars• With Art background- Stress more formalities of artwork- Believe people must consider both context and formality of artwork to gain

full understanding of artwork

• Doctor introduced Three-step process in art appreciation:- AnalysisInterpretationJudgment

• Doctor pointed out the importance of personal experience in aesthetic

experience E.g. Children may have less empathy towards artwork relating to death.

• Doctor pointed out some artist has presumed a display context of the artwork.

• E.g. Goddess of Democracy, during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

Interview – Particulars

• Without Art Background- Stress more subjective feelings of artwork- Care less about formality of artwork

• Male university student pointed out that sometimes even you know the context, you may not have empathy towards the artwork if you don’t have similar experience in advance

- Echoes with Doctor’s point on personal experience

Conclusion

• Aesthetic experience is a mix of experiences• Context is not necessary in aesthetic

experience• Context is necessary in art appreciation• Taken context into consideration will increase

the value of artwork• Art appreciation is a continuous experience

Conclusion

• Aesthetic experience is a mix of experiences• Taking context into consideration will increase

the value of artwork• The richness of aesthetic experience will be

enhanced• Art appreciation is a continuous experience

Recommendation

Art Appreciation • Reflection on everyday life• Description Analysis Interpretation Evaluation

Promote art appreciation in our society• Enhance contextual description of artwork and

guided tour in art museum• Advise media to produce more programmes about

context of artwork

Coffee Corner, CUHK