Jervee A. Sison Prof. Kristoffer A.

Bolaños
BSA 1-1 Art Appreciation
What Makes a Thing a Work of Art?

Art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination in

different forms such as visual (painting, sculpture, architecture), performing (music,
dance, drama), linguistic (literature) and crafts (ceramics, weaving, sewing, handicraft,
carpentry, masonry, stone cutting, gardening, cooking), producing works intended to be
appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. It is the study of the nature of
art, including such concepts as interpretation, representation and expression, and form.
It is closely related to aesthetics, the philosophical study of beauty and taste. A work of
art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an aesthetic item or artistic creation, but
it should not just be judged based on complexity of its creative process.

The question “What makes something a work of art?” is not one which we are
frequently brought up upon in daily life or in our ordinary interaction with art. This topic is
applicable to subject universality because in deciding what makes a thing a work of art,
we are reliant against theories of art such as imitationism by Plato, representationism,
expressionism, functionalist theory, institutional theory, and aesthetic theory as guidelines
which might be different from the point of view of some people but also have some
similarities somehow in some way as there will always be two sides between a debate
who agree and disagree with the matter. One is improbably to see something as an art
without depending on a theory or different theories. Within and beyond these theories,
what is meant by calling anything at all a work of art?

A work of art needs to connect. It needs to have some element of truth to it that
relates harmoniously with the viewer and leaves them something after they have departed
from the artwork. A good art object poses questions and educates you something you did
not know or imparts something you didn’t know you are knowledgeable about. It
communicates something we’ve felt, and we associate to that thing in a way where words
are not essential. It is a sensation that's difficult to illustrate but makes us feel less alone
in a way—that someone or something else understands us and provides a voice to this
thing inside of us. A piece of art outstretches further than its structure and becomes part
of us.

Furthermore, as we all have heard, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” or “One
man’s trash is another man’s gold”. As an artist, it is significant to create artwork that
genuinely comes from within. Art should bring a rush of feelings that spectator can’t help
but feel captivated to it which comes down from the pureness of the artist’s voice that
cannot be falsify. At the end of the day, the viewer decides the importance of an art piece
— art influences a vast range of people. To attach with the observer on an emotional or
personal level is what it takes to make a work of art. A fragment of mystery can allow the
observer to comprehend the work based on their own experiences and let them identify
with it. What makes piece of art is when an artist spells his/her imagination, creativity and
skills in diverse ways and every observer experiences it differently. Art is the combination
of techniques to create a meaningful art object that is aesthetically, emotionally, or
engagingly pleasing for the spectator. A true work of art is the creation of more than just
technical skill, or craft. It encompasses an individual sensitivity, aptitude, or vision, which
permits the maker to convey a subject to life and infuse it with value in a convincing way.
As a viewer you are fascinated, raised out of yourself, you feel your consciousness being
extended by a story that is both everlasting and endless. Every work of art will have a
distinctive connection to each different viewer, and the power of that connection is what
drives the perception of value.

Moreover, it also takes essence for a work of art which is the toughest factor to
evaluate. Theorists have argued that objects and people do not have a constant meaning,
yet their meanings are molded by humans in the context of their culture, as they can make
things mean or signify something. Works of art are sustained by context. It can’t just be
beautiful, or shocking for the sake of it. Artworks attracted spectators since they can, in
one way or another, relate with it. It’s insufficient to be technically good, arts need to have
the ability to affect and change its audience. Art is anything that shows or stimulates and
depicts a person’s beliefs, emotions, realities, ideas or thoughts through any of the human
senses. Art is logical within its cultural setting. It represents, in understandable forms,
philosophies and principles that are vital to the individuals who generate them and
probably appeal to others. There is a cultural aspect specifically on how we interpret art.
Some works can be so distant that it was disoriented in conversion to distinct countries,
and sometimes what’s regarded as art by one group of people can be unpleasant to
another. Every work of art has a background, and it’s frequently something that we don’t
recognize, until we do some inquiry. Sometimes when a work of art is positioned into the
proper perspective, it makes sense. Thinkers and writers believe that art is not only an
end in itself but also a sufficient justification of itself. They also hold that to understand art
as it should be understood, it is crucial to set aside all interests other than an attention in
the work itself. In the act of appreciation, we obtain from art something that is of
independent value.

In addition, the unique elements of art are the purpose of the artist and impression
of it to the spectator. However, as nobody can distinguish a creator’s objective unless
they reveal it, but makers so often don’t. Likewise, even the artist cannot constraint what
any person extracts from an assumed work. An artist can state something has worth, but
it’s up to the viewer to determine if that message has value. There’s immense pressure
and significance in the gap between the artist and observer. That gap is the work itself
and that’s how art works. The art is more the gap than the physical work. Work of art is
near to thinking, experience, and life. It can transform into another thing. It alters how
people appreciate things and helps individual reflect more critically in different approach.

Finally, in conformity with Immanuel Kant, aesthetics (which is related to art) is not
a theoretical philosophy (cognitive science). According to him, aesthetic activity must
rather be a free and joyful play of our powers of cognition instead of grounding it to
conceptualization and theoretical framework. It is about “thinking without concepts”. As
stated by Harold Osborne, aesthetic experience is the key to defining art. Whatever
among natural objects is capable of arousing and maintaining aesthetic experience we
call beautiful; and whatever among artifacts is capable of arousing and maintaining
aesthetic experience is a work of art. Following Kant and Arthur Schopenhauer, Osborne
exhibits aesthetic experience basically as direct awareness undertaken for its own sake.
When we practice perception for its own sake and not for practical or theoretical purposes,
we are enjoying aesthetic experience. Few things are appropriate mediums for this
exercise. A work of art is an artifact which can encourage such an awareness and of
sustaining it. It is the well-known view that art presents the individuality of its subject
matter and is therefore not conceptual or descriptive.

Art develops consciousness. In several things, there is a trace of art. An individual

must learn how to find it. It is often unknown, disintegrated, disordered, and unassertive.
The test is to detect, create, and arrange it. We should examine things from a diverse
perspective. Studying the world upside down can propose many productive concepts and
arouse from a kind of unconscious mind.