Portrait in Charcoal by Colin Russell (my artist son)



Self-portrait of Henry Inman

One important fact about this aesthetics casebook is that it is sheer fun for anybody interested in art. Rather than making general statements about the 6 chapters and their introductory essays (other reviewers have done this), I will note my favorite case study in each chapter.

Creativity and Fidelity: Performance, Replication, Reading ------
We have the case of the horrible junior high concert where one night the conductor/music teacher wants his 8th graders to hit all the correct notes when performing Bach's First Brandenburg Concerto. And the students do, in fact, hit all the correct notes, since the conductor slowed the temp to super-slow and it took the 8th graders three hours to play their Bach. So, the question is: Did the parents who attended the concert hear Bach's concerto? For me, this case is not only good for a lively discussion of music and the integrity of art but is also laugh out loud funny. I can imagine sitting through such a concert!

Art and Artworks -----
Ben Vautier, performance artist, sits on a chair out in a city street with a placard on his lap reading, "Look at me. That's all it takes; I'm art." The questions raised by this case are: Was Ben right? Can a person be an artwork? If so, when will Ben stop being an artwork (perhaps when he goes home to shower)? Can Ben be an artwork without the placard? I find this a great case study for a very personal reason: years ago I performed Living Sculpture after having extensive training in mime and physical theater. So, I have additional questions: Should my performance be considered art since I had the formal training in using my body as art and Ben did not? I did perform Living Sculpture in a museum during a gallery opening. How is my museum performance different from performing on a city street?



Beauty, Ugliness, and the Aesthetic Experience -----
According to Thomas Aquinas `beauty is that whose mere observation is pleasing'. Reading this statement made by Aquinas, Jim reflects on his enjoyment of pornography. The author raises the following questions for our consideration: Is all pornography ugly, simply by being pornography? Does pornography's ugliness disqualify it from being beautiful? Is Jim merely observing? Is Jim's experience sufficient in showing Aquinas wrong in defining beauty in this way?

Meaning and Interpretation -----
The authors pose the question: "Should we value art because we learn from it and use it to enhance our understanding of some aspects of the world in which we live?" With this in mind we have the case of director Michael Cimino filming a scene of American soldiers playing Russian roulette while fighting in Vietnam. Although such a game was never actually a documented fact, Cimino said the game functioned as a symbol of the soldier's wartime fate. We are asked to agree or disagree on such cinematic devices being called a symbol.

Art and Other Values -----
The authors ask the questions: "Does an artist have the right to offend the moral or religious sensitivities of a community? Should whatever aesthetic values we find in film, painting, literature, or any of the other arts yield to other societal values? With these questions in mind we consider the case study of Jean-Luc Godard's film Hail Mary. Many religious-minded people find this film offensive. Recognizing how censorship is a hot public issue, such a case study is fertile ground for reflection.

Critical Judgment -----
The authors present the case study of Richard Serra's Tilted Arc. This public work of art was praised by art critics and art experts, but business people who were forced to actually look at Serra’s art and live with it in their public plaza hated the thing. So the question becomes: Should the work be removed? Or, perhaps, should the business people be educated on the artistic and aesthetic value of Serra's work? Again, such case studies can provide a fantastic jumping off point for reflections or discussions on what it means to judge a work of art.
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Stimulating. The various cases provide good discussion starters. ( )

One important fact about this aesthetics casebook is that it is sheer fun for anybody interested in art. Rather than making general statements about the 6 chapters and their introductory essays (other reviewers have done this), I will note my favorite case study in each chapter.

Creativity and Fidelity: Performance, Replication, Reading ------
We have the case of the horrible junior high concert where one night the conductor/music teacher wants his 8th graders to hit all the correct notes when performing Bach's First Brandenburg Concerto. And the students do, in fact, hit all the correct notes, since the conductor slowed the temp to super-slow and it took the 8th graders three hours to play their Bach. So, the question is: Did the parents who attended the concert hear Bach's Brandenburg Concerto? For me, this case is not only good for a lively discussion of music and the integrity of art but is also laugh out loud funny. I can imagine sitting through such a concert!

Art and Artworks -----
Ben Vautier, performance artist, sits on a chair out in a city street with a placard on his lap reading, "Look at me. That's all it takes; I'm art." The questions raised by this case are: Was Ben right? Can a person be an artwork? If so, when will Ben stop being an artwork (perhaps when he goes home to shower)? Can Ben be an artwork without the placard? I find this a great case study for a very personal reason: years ago I performed `Living Sculpture' after having extensive training in mime and physical theater. So, I have additional questions: Should my performance be considered art since I had the formal training in using my body as art and Ben did not? I did perform `Living Sculpture' in a museum during a gallery opening. How is my museum performance different from performing on a city street?



Beauty, Ugliness, and the Aesthetic Experience -----
According to Thomas Aquinas `beauty is that whose mere observation is pleasing'. Reading this statement made by Aquinas, Jim reflects on his enjoyment of pornography. The author raises the following questions for our consideration: Is all pornography ugly, simply by being pornography? Does pornography's ugliness disqualify it from being beautiful? Is Jim merely observing? Is Jim's experience sufficient in showing Aquinas wrong in defining beauty in this way?

Meaning and Interpretation -----
The authors pose the question: "Should we value art because we learn from it and use it to enhance our understanding of some aspects of the world in which we live?" With this in mind we have the case of director Michael Cimino filming a scene of American soldiers playing Russian roulette while fighting in Viet Nam. Although such a game was never actually a documented fact, Cimino said the game functioned as a symbol of the soldier's wartime fate. We are asked to agree or disagree on such cinematic devices being called a symbol.

Art and Other Values -----
The authors ask the questions: "Does an artist have the right to offend the moral or religious sensitivities of a community? Should whatever aesthetic values we find in film, painting, literature, or any of the other arts yield to other societal values? With these questions in mind we consider the case study of Jean-Luc Godard's film Hail Mary. Many religious-minded people find this film offensive. Recognizing how censorship is a hot public issue, such a case study is fertile ground for reflection.

Critical Judgment -----
The authors present the case study of Richard Serra's Tilted Arc. This public work of art was praised by art critics and art experts, but business people who were forced to actually look at Serra’s art and live with it in their public plaza hated the thing. So the question becomes: Should the work be removed? Or, perhaps, should the business people be educated on the artistic and aesthetic value of Serra's work? Again, such case studies can provide a fantastic jumping off point for reflections or discussions on what it means to judge a work of art.


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