Formalism, Modernism, and the Connection to Sociological Discussion - Book Report/Review Example

Formalism, Modernism, and the Connection to Sociological Discussion In formalism, context of a work of art is second to the form in which the work reveals its meaning. Roger Fry and Clive Bell discuss the nature of emotions as they relate to the development of the viewer response. The worlds of the artist separated in to two natures, according to Fry, while Bell discusses that a split between the responses through the intellectual and the emotional. In examining the writings that others have created on the topic of aesthetics and the formalist criticism, it is clear that the development of art that was more about meaning than representation changed the way in which intellectual discovery of art was made. Formalism is the theory of art in which form is the primary concept through which the aesthetic value of a painting is judged. The definition that can be used to best describe formalism is that “Formalist criticism is based upon an aesthetic theory that gives priority to such formal elements as line, shape, and color, rather than to representational elements involved with narrative, iconography, and Iconology” (Art and Aesthetics 1). It connects to modernism as form predominated the logic of art, while it is an antithesis to contemporary art as the form became less important and the context of the work was taken into consideration. Through an examination of art as it relates to the modern and contemporary period, a discussion of formalism as it begins to relate to the sociological aspects leads towards understanding how art might be fading as a valued part of life. Roger Fry discusses art for the way in which it forms to separate worlds for the artist. The first world is that of the real world with the second being that of the imagined world. Fry specifically identifies and defines art by saying that “Art, then, is an expression and stimulus of this imaginative life, which is separated from actual life by the absence of responsive action” (80-81). He goes on to say that through the contrasts between the imaginative life and the real life, one can focus the whole of an expression on the emotions without having to think about the response to those emotions. Through line, rhythm, and other elements of the form that art takes, the representation takes on the aspects of the emotion. The elements are weak, he states, but when placed in a reference to a form become full of emotional content. Fry states that “but when these emotional elements are combined with the presentation of natural appearances, above all with the appearance of the human body, we find that this effect is indefinitely heightened” (86). This can be seen as meaning that the elements that construct the image have little meaning until they become constructed into the reference that is intended by the piece of art. Fry states that “When the artist passes from pure sensations to emotions aroused by means of sensations, he uses natural forms which, in themselves, are calculated to move our emotions and he presents these in such a manner that the forms themselves, generate in us emotional states, based upon the fundamental necessities of our physical and psychological nature” (86). The creation of meaning becomes based upon the system that the artist has discovered about the intention of their emotions as they can be related through the form. Bell takes the discussion further to discuss the meaning of aesthetics and the extent to which emotions must be complex in order to understand what is being discussed or expressed within a piece of art. Through his discussion of the idea of aesthetics, he suggests that there is a balance that must be struck between the emotive response and the ability to understand a broad set of emotions through instinctive passion. Through the intellectual there is interpretation, but through the response the meaning of the piece of art becomes more present. Bell goes on to say that the consideration of art is more tedious that is the understanding of the emotions that have been expressed within a piece of art. Finding aesthetics often about the intellectual rather than the emotional, but it is the emotional that drives the foundation upon which aesthetics are created. Bell breaks down appreciation by saying that “To appreciate a work of art we need bring with us nothing but a sense of form and color, and a knowledge of three dimensional space” (73). Interpreting patterns that are the basis of art becomes the connection between the work of art and the meaning of the art. The work involved to make the art requires specific elements that are contributing to the form of the art, while the emotional intention is based upon how the elements are brought together to create the representation that will evoke the emotional aspects of the work. Through this type of use of form to create the intangible concepts of emotion, art is created. Creation is in using the elements in such a way as to reference the real world. Bell writes that “When confronted by a picture, instinctively they refer back its forms to the world from which they came” (74). Bell too believes that it is in creating the references to common elements that the aesthetics and the emotions are fulfilled. Through this exploration of the meaning of art, a connection can be made between the artist and the art in a way that was not made when most of the art was based upon themes of a religious nature. As the modern art era developed, the understanding of the artist as a part of the work came into dominance. In contemporary art, Danto suggests that form became such a dominant force that narrative became a less popular aspect of the creation of art (16). Historic referencing became almost obsolete as the form became the predominant aspect of the creation of art as it began to fail in its relationship with the natural world. Through modern art, the concept of the narrative still was within the evolution of art. Danto states that Modern Art “assumed that the work of art is to be defined in formalist terms and appreciated under the perspective of a narrative not remarkably different from the one Greenburg advanced: a linear progressive history the visitor would work through, learning to appreciate the work of art together with learning the historical sequences” (16). Modern art, even in its position as formalist, still was in reference to the history of art, connected to the past through representation concepts. Style becomes relevant to the formalist approach as it reveals how culture is a part of the creation of art. The style with which the artist creates supplies the artist with the material understanding of his or her choices in order to reveal something emotional about them. The question can be defined by the question that can be asked, that of “Does history necessarily imprint itself on every human production?” (Visual Supremacy 131). The connection to the past became a part of the development of art, the human component becoming more specific to how the artist expresses the sense of emotion that is central to the development of the formalist approach. There is some belief, however, that art is dying and will not be resurrected through current trends. As the Modernist era was defined by the associations that were made to psychoanalysis, contemporary work can be associated to self-awareness movements, which may not support the idea that new art is a continuation of art. Post-modernism is aware of the world in that it understands the idea of shortages and of inflation and the economic impact of financial health on the world. Contemporary art has abandoned pure references to nature Contemporary art defies the nature of Modern periods in that it no longer concerns itself with form and the emotional intent of the artist, but begins to contract art so that it is all about form and is concerned with context rather than style (Levins 343). Hauser discusses the nature of truth as it relates to the development of art. Art has a different approach to truth than does most other aspects of the human experience. There is not a single ideology or a set of beliefs that can define art for its truths. There are many experiences, although it is likely that art will be defined in historic references through one set of ideologies if not a single ideological perspective (Houser 234). In looking at art as it has come to its current state, it might be helpful to look at the Marxist definitions and references for art. Marx associated art with the privileged, those with the money to spend extravagantly on art having the privilege of defining its value (Hyde 144). Therefore the development of art can be seen through the perspective of how it is valued, the value determined by those who inform to the privileged or those with enough means to have elevated them to a level to create judgment on art. The formalist concept of art is defined by its need to see a representation from which meaning can be interpreted for a piece of art. Form is more important than context, which shifted from the Modern period to the Contemporary period in which context became the predominate nature of examining aesthetics of style. As viewed through a Marxist perspective, the elite are the class through which the determination of art value can be determined. Critics can define the art world as dying because of the way in which art is valued. The value of art, however, is now not based upon the formal elements it contains, but the context in which it is viewed. The shifts that have flourished since a break from religious dominating them has been to move artists from the representational to forms that are defined by the context in which they are viewed. The formalist debate rages on helping to define levels of taste and aesthetic qualities. Works Cited “Art and Aesthetic: Late Modernism and the Formalist Debate”. Bell, Clive. “The Aesthetic Hypothesis”. Eds. (name of editors here) Modern Art and Modernism. (city of publication): (publisher), (date). Print. Danto, Arthur. “Introduction: Modern, Postmodern, and Contemporary”. Eds. (name of editors here) Modern Art and Modernism. (city of publication): (publisher), (date). Print. Fry, Roger. “An Essay in Aesthetics” Eds. (name of editors here) Modern Art and Modernism. (city of publication): (publisher), (date). Print. Houser, Arnold. “The Sociological Approach: The Concept of Ideology in the History of Art”. Eds (name of editors). Modernism and Art. Hyde, Vernon. “Sociological and Marxist Perspectives” Levin, Kim. “Fairwell to Modernism” “Visual Supremacy: Connoisseurship, Style, Formalism” Read More