What is art?

A cultural phenomenon that mostly satisfies subjective and emotional needs and is also a special way of entertainment in daily life. The root of it is to constantly create new beauty, thereby venting inner desires and emotions, which is a condensed and exaggerated life. Any behavior or thing that can express beauty, such as writing, painting, sculpture, architecture, music, dance, drama, film, etc., is art.

1. Culture and art: works created by summarizing social life, including literature, painting, sculpture, architectural modeling, music, dance, drama, movies, etc. In layman's terms, anything that lightens the burden of our lives, makes us happy inexplicably, or is pleasing to the eye is art. 2. The art of leadership (management): refers to the creativity and effectiveness shown in leadership (management) methods. Art is a competitive mentality in the process of human evolution, and it is also a manifestation of one's own abilities among similar people.

Art is a very important and common cultural form with very complex and rich content, which is closely related to people's actual life. As a spiritual product, art has unlimited development trends and accounts for an increasing proportion of the entire social product. Artistic value is a very important spiritual value. Its objective role is to regulate, improve, enrich and develop people's spiritual life and improve people's spiritual quality (including cognitive ability, emotional ability and will level). Art appreciation is people's discovery and search for the value of artworks. It is the emotional communication and emotional resonance between appreciators, creators and performers. In the process of art appreciation, the author or performer uses movements, colors, sounds and words to express the emotions he has experienced in order to infect the audience or listeners and make others experience the same emotions. The emotions generated by art appreciation are super-utilitarian on the surface, but it is not a denial of utilitarianism, but a broader and more profound affirmation of utilitarianism.

There are many types of art. According to different classification standards, art can be divided into the following types: Art (painting, design, sculpture, architecture), music (vocal music, instrumental music, dance), broadcasting and hosting, Performances, dramas, etc. all belong to art, and there are many forms of art. It is mainly divided into two categories: static art and dynamic art.

According to the way artistic images exist, art can be divided into time art, space art and space-time art. Art is a kind of spatial art. According to the aesthetic method of artistic image, art can be divided into auditory art, visual art and audio-visual art. Fine art is also a visual art. According to the materialized form of art, art can be divided into dynamic art and static art. Fine art is primarily a static art. According to the aesthetic principles of art classification, art can be divided into practical art, plastic art, performing art, language art and comprehensive art. Fine art is a plastic art. According to the way artistic images are expressed, art can be divided into expressive art and representational art. There are both expressive and reproducible elements in art. Generally speaking, according to different means and methods of expression, art can be divided into: Performing arts (music, dance, etc.) Visual arts (painting, photography, etc.) Plastic arts (sculpture, architectural art, etc.) Audio-visual arts (movies, television, etc.) Language arts (literature, etc.) Comprehensive arts (drama, opera, etc.) A relatively new classification method divides art according to the nature of time and space: time art, space art, comprehensive art. Computer art refers to a new means of artistic creation that is based on computer technology and combines art and computer technology. All computer-related artistic creations can also be called CG. CG includes two-dimensional and three-dimensional, still paintings and animations (movies), ranging from free creation, clothing design, interior design, landscape planning and design, industrial design, TV advertising ( CM) to web design, it can be said to be all-encompassing.

Regarding the meaning and scope of application of "art" and "art", there are certain differences between the East and the West. In the West, "art" and "art" both originate from the Latin word "art" in ancient Rome. Its original meaning refers to "man-made skills" as opposed to "natural creation", and generally refers to various hand-made artworks and music. , literature, drama, etc. At that time, art in a broad sense even included skills in clothing, cultivation, boxing, medical skills, etc. In the ancient Greek period, the concept of art was still equated with craftsmanship and technology. However, when ancient Greek painting and sculpture reached a mature stage in the fifth century BC, a set of classical beauty standards had been basically established, which provided the basis for the meaning of art in the future. The evolution laid the foundation. It was not until the Renaissance that art was gradually equated with "beautiful". In the mid-18th century, the artistic concept system based on beauty was formally established, and art became the main object of aesthetics. Today, the word "art" in English still means both "art" and "art". It can be used to refer to music, dance, literature, drama, film and other various artistic categories, and sometimes it is also used specifically Used to refer to visual arts including painting, sculpture, crafts, and architecture. In many Western works, we even see that the "art" mentioned by the author actually only refers to a part of what we Chinese think of as art: painting. And their "the arts fine" (which we directly translate as "art") still refers to poetry, music, painting, sculpture, architecture, etc. The term "art" has been widely used by writers, artists and educators in China since the New Culture Movement.

At that time, when Cai Yuanpei used the term "art", he also included poetry and music. Calligraphy Art

Music. Later, China's literary and artistic circles and educational circles gradually separated the concepts of "fine arts" and "art". "Art" is the general term for all art categories. It uses different visual methods to reflect nature and society, and express Human emotions are a large humanities subject, which includes art, music, poetry, dance, drama, film, calligraphy, etc., as well as clothing, gardens and other large areas. "Fine arts" is specifically used to refer to an important branch of art - the visual arts part. In short, in Chinese we have two words "art" and "art", which have different meanings and different scopes of reference, but in English there is only one word "art", which is used to refer to all categories of art. , is also used to specifically refer to a part of all art categories - fine arts, or even an aspect of fine arts - painting. This is the difference in the meaning and scope of application of the words "art" and "art" between the East and the West. Art is an art that uses material materials as a medium to create considerable static artistic images that occupy a certain plane or three-dimensional space. A social ideology that expresses the author's thoughts and feelings, and it is also a form of production. It usually refers to an art such as painting, sculpture, arts and crafts, and architectural art that is developed in space, expresses one's attitude, and appeals to people's vision. When Europe began to use this name in the seventeenth century, it generally referred to paintings, sculptures, literature, music, etc. with aesthetic significance. When this term began to be commonly used around the time of the May 4th Movement in my country, it also had a connotation equivalent to the entire art. For example, when Lu Xun explained the word "art" in 1913, he wrote: "Art is a word...translated from Ying's Aite. Aite means originally from Greece, and its friendship is art." Shortly afterwards, another name in our country With the word "art" translated as "Aite", the word "art" has become a name specifically referring to visual arts such as painting. Art has a great influence on us.

Art communication refers to the process of transmitting artistic information or works to recipients with the help of certain material media and communication methods. Art reception refers to active consumption, appreciation and criticism activities based on communication, with art works as the object and appreciators as the subject. In the past, from art works to art appreciation, most of them used simple and direct communication methods. The significance of communication did not attract people's attention. This was mainly due to the limitations of productivity level and technological level, which caused the communication function to fall behind and failed to fully reflect the artistic activities. have a greater impact. In the past century, especially in recent decades, the rapid development of science and technology in the world has had a huge impact on artistic activities. The development of high-tech technologies such as electronic technology, satellite technology, and computer technology, as well as their widespread application in the field of culture and art, have made significant progress in the methods and functions of art communication. It not only makes film and television art the most popular art form today, but also affects many of its forms of expression and communication methods to other art forms, fully embodying the superior functions of video technology. Art communication has shown an increasingly important role and status in the field of contemporary art activities. It affects the form, scale, speed, cycle, and proliferation of artworks, as well as the recipient's acceptance method and appreciation taste. Have a huge impact. The acceptance of art, including the consumption, appreciation and criticism of art, is the end point of artistic activities and the fundamental way for the ultimate realization of the intrinsic value of artists and works of art. The appreciation and criticism activities of art recipients have a strong subjective significance. It is not only the aesthetic recognition, interpretation and creation of art works, but also the spiritual communication and dialogue with artists. Art acceptance can also provide spiritual feedback to artists and even the object world, thereby realizing the connection between artistic activities and social activities, integrating artistic activities into the grand system of human social activities, and playing a powerful role in it. It is a discipline that combines art with philosophy, aesthetics, culture, sociology, psychology, communication, anthropology, comparative studies, art history, etc. From various aspects such as the nature of art, the origin of art, the development of art, art creation, art appreciation, and art dissemination, we will explore the laws of the occurrence and development of human art, as well as its future trends and changes. The theoretical and historical research direction of art communication focuses more on mass communication in the field of art, and studies various issues of art as a carrier of information and communication in the context of new media.

Marxist Art Theory Marx and Engels did not propose a general aesthetic theory, nor did they conduct any systematic research on art and literature. Marx's passing remarks on this question stirred up debate more than providing a certifiable principle of interpretation. In an oft-quoted passage from the Grundrisse (Introduction), Marx mentioned: “As regards art, it is known that its certain periods of prosperity are by no means proportional to the general development of society, and therefore not to the material base. development in direct proportion.” He went on to point out: As for Greek art, although it is combined with special forms of social development, in a certain respect it is still "a norm and unattainable model" for us, and has "permanent charm" "(See "The Complete Works of Marx and Engels", Volume 46, Pages 48 and 49).

This view also shows that, for whatever reason, some types of art are not strictly determined by the material basis of society. They have permanent and transhistorical value (here, Marx suggests a psychological explanation), elsewhere (see Chapter 4, Section 16 of "Theory of Surplus Value"), Marx ridiculed those "eighteenth-century French idealism that was satirized by Lessing. Since we greatly surpass the ancients in mechanics and other aspects, why do we Can't we also create epics? "The above views can give art "a special status in the ideological superstructure" (see "Bibliography" ⑤, page 10), and these views are also similar to Engels's in the 19th century. This is consistent with the broader discussion of the relationship between base and superstructure in several letters written during the 1890s (see letters to Kahn Schmitt, August 5 and October 27, 1890; letter dated September 21, 1890 Bloch; to F. Melling, July 14, 1893; to W. Borgius, January 25, 1894).

Body Art (20 photos) On the one hand, regarding the social status of artists, Marx pointed out when criticizing Stirner’s concept of “the only one”: “Due to the division of labor, artistic genius is completely concentrated in Therefore, the artistic genius of the broad masses of people is suppressed... In a communist society, there are no pure painters, only people who regard painting as one of their many activities." (Marx The Complete Works of Engels, Vol. 3, p. 460). Here, according to Marx's general view on the importance of eliminating the division of labor, the existence of art itself as a special activity is problematic. "In a communist society, no one has a specific scope of activity. Everyone can develop in any department. Society regulates the entire production, which makes it possible for me to do what I want today. I will do that tomorrow, hunting in the morning, fishing in the afternoon, raising animals in the evening, and criticizing after dinner, but that does not make me a hunter, fisherman, herdsman or critic." ("Selected Works of Marx and Engels") Volume 1, pp. 37-38). Not only is this idea purely speculative, bordering on “making recipes for the restaurants of the future,” but literally, it is unrealistic for any complex and technologically developed society, especially for artistic creation. However, it illustrates an important concept of human nature that runs particularly throughout Marx's early writings (see The Essence of Man; Practical entry). Starting from this concept, whether it is art or a developed aesthetic consciousness, like language, it is regarded as a universal and unique ability of human beings; as Gramsci pointed out, although only some people bear the responsibility in society, The work of intellectuals, however, all people are intellectuals, therefore, it can be said that all people are artists. Pioneering works on Marxist aesthetics were written by Merlin (in 1893) and Plekhanov (in 1912). Merlin's main concern was literature, not ornamental art or music. Plekhanov aimed to develop a strict determinism, saying: "In my opinion, the art of any people is always closely causally related to their economy" (see "Bibliography" ⑦, p. Page 57). From this point of view, he analyzed that in primitive societies, dance expressed the pleasure of labor (such as hunting), while music assisted labor (through rhythm). However, when elaborating on the general relationship between labor, games and art, he pointed out: Although the production of art has the source of utility required by material life, aesthetic pleasure has its own reasons for joy. In Plekhanov's view, apart from primitive society, economy only indirectly determines art through the intermediary influence played by class distinctions and class rule. For example, he noted of eighteenth-century French drama and painting that they represented the triumph of "elegant aristocratic flavor." However, later in the century, as aristocratic rule was challenged by the bourgeoisie, the art of Boucher and Greuze was "overshadowed by the revolutionary paintings of David and his school" (ibid., p. 157). The October Revolution in the Soviet Union and the revolutionary movements taking place in Central Europe brought two subjects that were in some respects opposed to each other—revolutionary art and proletarian art—to the forefront of debate. In the Soviet Union, Lunacharsky, who served as People's Commissar of Education and Art from 1917 to 1929, "rarely prevented the introduction of the avant-garde" (see "Bibliography" ⑨, p. 34); for example, he supported The Vychebsk Art School, with Shadar as its principal, also supported the reconstruction of the Moscow Art Room, which was taught by Kanjinsky, Zevzhina and others and became the cradle of "Constructivism" (ibid., pp. 38-39) . In Germany, the Workers' Council movement also supported the avant-garde in art, and although the movement failed politically, some of its achievements (such as Gropius's House of Architecture) survived until the victory of Fascism. In the early 1920s, there was still a lively exchange between representatives of Soviet and German revolutionary art. On the other hand, the proletarian concept of art (or culture) was criticized by some Bolshevik leaders (among them Trotsky) and went so far as to regard proletarian cultural organizations as enemies of the party and potential counter-revolutionary organizations. the point.

However, in a relatively long period of time, the concept that the proletariat needed to have its own class art and that artists should first have "party spirit" had a great influence, and it was also influenced by Stalin and Zhdanov. Under the coercion of the Soviet Union, it became an important part of the aesthetic dogma of "socialist realism". Under such a system, there was no room for radical experimentation or avant-garde movements in art, and a dull mediocrity prevailed. But even in this case novel ideas in art were not entirely excluded, and Lifschitz (who had been associated with Lukács at the Marx-Engels Institute in Moscow) besides editing the first volume of Marx and Engels on Art In addition to a collection of commentaries (published in 1937), he also published a very interesting treatise on Marx's aesthetic thought based on extensive reference to Marx's notes and early works (see "Bibliography"⑥) . But in the 1930s and later, the main contributions to Marxist art theory were made in the West. Brecht, who proposed his own "epic drama" against socialist realism, said of Lukács and his colleagues in Moscow: "To put it bluntly, they are the enemies of creation; they Do not create yourself, (but) play the role of a servant and exercise control over others” (see “References” ②, page 97). Brecht's views profoundly influenced Benjamin's aesthetic theory. He regarded epic drama as a model of how to transform the forms and means of artistic creation in a socialist direction (see "References" ① ). The debate between Brecht and Lukács was actually part of a broader debate that took place within the context of "socialist realism" (i.e., the 19th-century bourgeoisie enriched with new content). A debate between the advocates of realism) and the supporters of "modernism" (especially German Expressionism, as well as Cubism and Surrealism); the supporters of "modernism" except Brecht In addition to Te and Benjamin, there are Bloch and Adorno (see "Bibliography" ②, ⑨). Raphael's work, which contains three essays on the sociology of art (see "Bibliography" 8), was another major contribution to Marxist art theory in the 1930s, but it has only been widely recognized in recent years. What people know. In a paper on Marxist art theory, the author starts from a detailed analysis of the original text of Marx's "Grinder" (Introduction) to establish a sociology of art in order to overcome the dialectical materialism that "can at best focus on individual artistic issues." the existing weakness of conducting some uncertain and piecemeal research” (ibid., p. 76). Raphael emphasized the importance of Marx's concept of Greek myth as an intermediary between the economic foundation and Greek art, and raised a series of new questions about the general relationship between myth and art. He also examined various issues related to the "unbalanced development" of material production and art. Finally, he criticized Marx's explanation of the "eternal charm" of Greek art, believing that this was "fundamentally incompatible with historical materialism." (ibid., p. 105). Raphael’s own explanation for the reason why Greek art had the “standard value” of art in certain periods of European history is that whenever economic and social changes cause the entire culture to experience a crisis, the phenomenon of “retroversion” will appear. In the third of these essays, Raphael considered the art of Picasso to be the most typical example of modernism, which he argued was associated with the shift from free enterprise capitalism to monopoly capitalism. In the past 20 years, Marxist writings on art have been obviously dominated by methodological treatises (that is, abstractly formulating a suitable Marxist concept of art), and only a few treatises have engaged in some substantive research. A notable exception is Klinjandel's excellent study of the topic of art in the Industrial Revolution (see Bibliography 4), where he pays special attention to the interaction between art and technology, and His research on the growing power of the "new type of man" on art was completed relatively early but has recently been republished. Another notable exception is Willet's detailed examination of the modernist movement in painting, architecture, and music in Germany during the Weimar period (see "Bibliography" ⑨). As for recent theoretical discussions, they focus on the following two themes: (1) art is ideology, (2) art is a basic expression of human creativity. These two themes have attracted the attention of Marxist thinkers from the beginning, and their roots lie in Marx's own different views on art. On the one hand, the analysis based on the view that art is ideology is bound to explain that in a special historical stage of the existence of a ruling class, artistic style (including form and content) occupies a special position in the entire ideological concept of the class. This must be like what Goldman advocates in terms of literary creation (see "Bibliography" (11)): first of all, we must establish the structure of the inner meaning of artistic creation and style, and then determine the role of the structure in a certain production method. place within the broader structure of class relations. Both Plekhanov and Raphael tried to do this in the research work mentioned above. On the other hand, since some art can be seen as an ideological weapon for the oppressed class in its struggle for liberation, the debate between realism and modernism has largely revolved around the inherent characteristics of "revolutionary art" and its analyze.

Recently, an interesting aspect of Marxist thought about art as ideology has been the growing interest in popular art and the "culture industry" (see the entry on culture), which some members of the Frankfurt School (such as Adol The works of Novo and Marcuse are particularly prominent in this respect, according to which art in the advanced capitalist era not only introduces degeneration due to mechanical reproduction and its widespread dissemination, but also promotes mutual disputes. At the same time, the ideological impact of any revolutionary art is weakened because radical innovations are easily absorbed by the dominant ideological body. However, Benjamin holds the opposite view; in his view, the main role of mechanical reproduction is to destroy the artistic "aura" of elites and to "destroy tradition" (see "Bibliography" ①, page 223) , and forged links between the proletariat and new cultural forms, such as cinema. The perception of artistic subjects as expressions of creativity raises complex questions in the analysis of aesthetic values ??(see the entry on aesthetics) and human nature (see the entry on psychology). In both respects, not only has Marxist thought remained relatively underdeveloped until recently, but the growing body of writings over the past twenty years reflects deep divisions among Marxist thinkers. However, in the sense of social practice, the view of art as an expression of universal human creativity and a liberating force (although this view can ultimately be summarized in theoretical terms) means that in socialism The Marxist attitude towards art in society has two principles: The first principle is that art (like general spiritual life) should develop freely and form a "letting a hundred flowers bloom", rather than having to adapt to the requirements of certain artistic dogma, especially A dogma imposed by political power; the second principle is generally consistent with the above-mentioned thoughts expressed by Marx in "The German Ideology", that is, while allowing the "snow and spring" development of outstanding geniuses, it is necessary to More broadly, the creative activities of fine arts should be cultivated and encouraged as a source of needs and pleasure for ordinary people. Bibliography ① Walter Benjamin; "Artistic Creation in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction", in "Qiminglu", English edition in 1968. ②Ernst Bloch and others co-authored: "Aesthetics and Politics", 1977 English edition. ③Manfred Krim, ed.: "Marx and Engels on Literature and Art", 1968 German edition. ④Francis D. Klingendel: "Art and the Industrial Revolution" (1947), English edition in 1968. ⑤David Rahn: "Marxist Theory of Art", English version 1978. ⑥Mikhail Lifshitz: "Karl Marx's Philosophy of Art" (1933), English edition in 1973. ⑦G.V. Plekhanov: "Art and Social Life" (1912), English edition in 1953. ⑧Max Raphael: "Proudhon, Marx, Picasso - Three Essays on the Sociology of Art" (1933), English version in 1980. ⑨ John Willett: "New Sober Thinking from 1917 to 1933 - Art and Politics in the Weimar Period", English edition in 1978. ⑩Same author: "Art and Revolution" (1980), in "History of Marxism" edited by Hobsbawm and others, English version in 1983. (11) Lucien Goldman: "The Hidden God" (1956), English version in 1967. (12) "Wang Qingsheng": Dictionary of Literary Creation Knowledge (1987).

In different social and historical periods, people’s value relationships have different basic characteristics. The art of the times that reflects the value relationships of the times will also show different basic characteristics, resulting in different artistic trends and art. school. (1) Primitive art and modern art Primitive art is rigid, innocent, powerful and wild. This is not only because the original value relationship is usually low-level, superficial, simple, direct and instinctive, but also because the cognitive ability of people at that time was very It is limited and can only use superficial, simple, direct and mechanical art forms to reflect and describe the objective things that exist around it. Modern art is advanced, delicate, complex and rational. This is not only because modern value relationships are usually advanced, profound and complex, but also because people's cognitive abilities are constantly improving and they can adopt advanced, profound, complex and dialectical methods. An art form to reflect and describe the objective things that exist around you. (2) Realism and Romanticism Realism takes the existence state of things as the basic perspective to observe and analyze the movement, development and change laws of things; Romanticism takes the connection state of things as the basic perspective to observe and analyze the patterns of things Laws of movement and development changes. The two have different emphases: the former attaches importance to the state of reality, and the latter attaches importance to the state of connection. Realism usually focuses on the concreteness and particularity of things, and can only understand specific and individual things, but cannot understand abstract and universal things.

Romanticism usually focuses on the abstraction and universality of things, and treats things abstractly and inductively. Various romantic artistic images have a certain degree of autonomy and randomness. It puts aside the specific form and content of real life, and Not bound by specific logical conditions, ignoring some vulgar and low-level things, revealing the deepest and most suggestive things in the human soul, turning artistic creation into a creative adventure. In primitive society, human survival was completely dependent on the natural environment, and humans could only passively adapt to the world. Human value relationships were simple and stable, and could only be reflected through intuitive feelings. At this time, the most effective artistic method was to Realism in which the existing state of things is the basic perspective. With the development of social productivity, people's direct dependence on the natural environment has gradually weakened. People can not only actively adapt to the world, but also actively transform the world. People's value relationships have developed into complex and changeable value relationships, which need to be passed through Only logical thinking can reflect it accurately. At this time, the most effective artistic method is romanticism, which takes the connection status of things as the basic perspective. When society is in a state of rapid development, people's value relationships are also in rapid development, and romantic art is more popular at this time; when society is in a relatively stable state, people's value relationships are also in a relatively stable state, and then realist art More popular.

However, the development of art and the development of the value relationships it reflects are often out of sync, and usually lag behind for a period of time. Therefore, artistic trends and schools usually lag behind the pace of development of the value relationships it reflects.