Joanna Sitzmann

Professor Burke

2 September 2008

Chapters 1 and 2 of Aesthetics

Chapters one and two, as the first two chapters of the Aesthetics, set the tone for

the rest of the book. They defined what aesthetics is and different ways philosophers

have explained it. Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with people’s perception

of beauty and how this perception is impacted by culture. Aesthetic activities are

performed for fun, and, according to the book, “People engage in them from choice and

for their own sake (Sheppard, 1).” These activities are generally sensory and

imaginatory. People do not read a book to earn a living or go to an exhibit to be cured of

an illness. They go because they find enjoyment in such activities. Yet this simple

explanation does not tell us why human nature drives us to find this pleasure. “Is there a

further point to them, apart from the pleasure they afford (Sheppard, 1)?”

Another question that has plagued the minds of scholars for years is, what makes

a work of art, scenery, or a book more beautiful than anything else? There are two

different answers to this question. One claims, “All works of art have something in

common, some defining characteristic which makes them especially valuable (Sheppard,

2)”. Some theologians that agree with this theory feel that all aesthetic objects share

neither imitation of other works or nature, nor form, but simply the quality of beauty.

Another answer to the question of Aesthetics is to study not the work itself but

our reaction to it; our aesthetic interest in such objects can tell us about the quality of

beauty. I feel that this explanation is superior to the idea that all aesthetic objects have
something in common. Nonetheless, I feel that both claims may have truth.

In chapter two, we find that art is often a replication of reality; yet we do not need

knowledge of the time period in which it was made to appreciate the beauty or relate to

the situation expressed. For example, if we watch a play that took place during the

Renaissance, we do not need to be historians to relate to the characters. The fact that we

can react with understanding and recognition to works of art contributes to the interest

and appeal they have for us.

The view that art is imitation is further explored in this chapter. Art may be

considered a representation, imitation or even an illusion. There is a problem with

viewing art as an illusion. This view makes the artist seem deceptive. It is even less

plausible when we consider art that is not visual. It would be improbable to call music,

for example, an illusion or imitation. Still, many philosophers viewed art in this way.

Perhaps the most famous is Plato, who believed that “…the most successful art is the art

of trompe—l’oeil in which we are deceived into taking the illusion for the reality

(Sheppard, 7).”

Many different theories have been put forward in attempt to define the nature of

representation in art. The art of trompe-l’oeil is one such attempt. A counter explanation

claims that representation is simply a matter of convention. For example, the golden

rings around the head of a human represents a saint with a halo. The convention is the

golden ring, and without the knowledge that this semi-circle represents a halo, one may

misinterpret a work of art with such conventions.

Both views of representation are associated with possible error. We can

distinguish between arts influenced by both trompe-l’oeil, and convention. This ability
proves that no one theory can be correct. In fact, our appreciation of art depends on both

the representational and trompe-l’oeil aspects of art.

The entire view of representation is absent from some works, especially music,

which may not represent anything at all.

After reading this chapter, I have come to the conclusion that no one theory is

correct for everything that is beautiful. The conventional theory may apply to western

paintings depicting saints and heaven; yet the trompe-l’oeil theory may apply to the stage,

where we are taken to the time and place of a particular scene. All art is beautiful for a

different reason. Therefore, different theories must explain the beauty of different art.