The Role of Culture in the Int
Art plays a very important role in our society. Most individuals enjoy art of some form, whether it is a painting, an opera, or a carefully crafted statue. Reactions to art also vary from person to person. People may argue over whether a piece of art is inherently good or bad, beautiful or ugly. It is a common assumption that art is subjective. People judge art based on their own definition of beauty. This gives the art a certain aesthetic value to the viewer. Most of those who view art do so for this purpose only; once they have found something that looks "good," most are ready to check out. However, I would agree with those who aspire to look deeper into art, those who believe that there is meaning behind art, and that the artist deliberately incorporates this meaning into his or her work. What a piece of art means can often times be more important than how it looks. Instead of simply judging whether a piece of art is aesthetically pleasing or not, the observer should react to the messages authors send through their creations. This type of reaction to art is much more complicated and undefined. When reacting to the meaning of a piece of art, the basic values, beliefs, and ideology viewers posses affect how they see t
If the sky and the earth painted on the cattle were replaced by Starbucks coffee and Bob Marley, my classmates and I would have reacted differently. A person's reaction to art cannot be simplified into aesthetic preferences. In his essay, "Ways of Seeing," Berger argues that our perception of art changes as we learn more about the art. When a piece of art like this, which is particular to another culture, is seen without any supporting information, it can be difficult to decipher the message sent by the author. How people react to art can change once they know more information about it, especially information regarding cultural identity. Father Sky and Mother Earth were the first creations of the Great Spirit. " After observers knew the title of the painting and that it was Native American art, the painting became a little more clear and interesting. I might even put this piece of art on my wall now. Native Americans will react to a painting of a dead buffalo differently than a Yugoslavian because the history of these two cultures is so different. Their crossed hands signify the union of heaven and earth. According to Navajo belief, all living things come from this life force in mother earth. Feathers decorate the painting and the colors are mostly orange, black, and white. Nor can we look at something from another culture, something foreign and confusing, and pass judgement about art that we don't understand. The bat in the upper right hand corner guards the sand painting at the opening in its border.
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