The Defining Features Of Art Essay - 2188 Words

Since the ancient world, the concept of art has been disputed. From claiming it was mere imitation, instruction or craft to defining it in terms of significant form and intrinsic characteristics, these formulated purposes force a cookie cutter mold on a creative process. While I do not believe that art can be defined, the search for an all encompassing concept is a debate crucial to art culture and must evolve alongside artistic trends. According to Weitz in â€Å"The Role of Theory in Aesthetics†, art simply cannot be defined in terms of necessary and sufficient conditions. Past theories propose statements about the defining features of art, yet omit a characteristic that is central to another theorist. To avoid excluding what is central to another theorist, Weitz refers to art as an open concept, â€Å"aesthetic theory is a logically vain attempt to define what cannot be defined, to state necessary and sufficient properties of that which has no necessary and sufficient properties, to conceive the concept of art as closed when its very use reveals and demands its openness.† (Weitz, 30). Art as an open concept does not require a set of conditions to include a piece as art; however, the issue arises in recognizing which pieces to include under this concept. To classify the undeniable natural recognition of a work of art, Weitz employs the Family Resemblance Concept. Weitz explains this idea by comparing it to games, â€Å"Knowing what a game is is not knowing some real definition or theoryShow MoreRelatedIs Symbolic Language The Defining Features Of Homo Sapiens?1052 Words   |  5 PagesIs symbolic language the defining feature of Homo sapiens? 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