Art as Institution George Dickie

I am very grateful tothose who have

erected something called the
Institutional Theory of Art on the analysis
Different of the The Artworld, even if the theory
itself is quiet alien to anything I
from believe. Arthur Danto, Preface to
Dantos Transfiguration of the Commonplace

artworld Dantos artworld was about ideas

embedded in art history and theory

whereas Dickies artworld is made out of
people: artists and their publics.
Marcel
Duchamp,
L.H.O.O.Q.
(1919)
Duane
Hanson,
Football
Player.
(1981)
 Section 1: Distinguish a metaphysical
project from an epistemological one.
Section 2: Offer a clear concept of the
aesthetic.

Outline of Section 3: Discuss two different

schema for the aesthetic definitions of
the paper art: descriptive and evaluative.
Section 4: Respond to the objection
that aesthetic definitions are too
narrow or too broad.
 SECTION I

Distinguish a metaphysical project from an

epistemological one.
 What is the point of defining
art?
Kennick and Carroll think this endeavour is pointless (for
different reasons).
Both share the assumption that the point of definition
should be the practical concern of art identification.
Kennick argues that a definition is useless for this project
(warehouse example).
Carroll thinks that we could but that we need not define
art (unless we are engaged in a marginal and academic
philosophical enterprise) and attempts at definition are
misguided.
For both, definition is an epistemological task.
 What is a definition?
Anderson follows Collingwoods distinction between
having a clear idea and definition.
To have a clear idea is to be able to identify an
instance of a type (epistemological task).
To define, one must have in ones head not only a
clear idea of the thing to be defined, but an equally
clear idea of all the other things in reference to which
one defines it.
Definition goes beyond identification; indeed,
identification is presupposed.
Definition places a concept on a conceptual map and
 Andersons question: what a work of
art is and what is is essentially by
means of definition.

Metaphysi The metaphysical project

complements the epistemological one:
cal project an adequate understanding of the
definition helps us understand our
own knowledge and ignorance of
particular cases.
 SECTION II

Offer a clear concept of the aesthetic.

 I. It must apply both to natural objects
and events and to works of art. Art
Criteria must be defined aesthetically.
II. It must be sensitive to the range of
for the audience reaction instead of
focusing just on pleasure (as Kant and
concept his followers did).
III. It must be connected to
of the traditional uses of the term.

aesthetic IV. It must not presuppose the concept

of art lest it be a circular account.
 Aesthetic pleasure: pleasure taken
in ones admiration or positive
valuation of something.
Aesthetic appreciation: taking
Aesthetic pleasure or delight in or judging
anything to be good.
experienc Aesthetic value: a certain propriety
in ones taking aesthetic pleasure in
es something; it must be reasonable or
apt or make sense to do so.

(Kendall Walton)
 I. Structural feature: all involve meta-
responses.
Notable II. Value judgment as a constituent of
all of them.
features III. Pleasure as the foundational
of notion.

definition Anderson rejects III. while retaining I.

s and II. Pleasure cannot be the
foundational notion : it is but one
aesthetic experience among many.
 Are aesthetic definitions
circular?
Davies argument:
1) According to the aesthetic definition, an object must
meet some criteria to be an art work.
2) An object meets those criteria in virtue of its aesthetic
properties.
3) The aesthetic properties that make something an art
work are the properties possessed by something
recognized as an art work.
4) Therefore the concept of art is prior to the criteria that
make something an art work (1-3).
Andy Warhol, Campbell
Soup Cans (detail). (1962)
Marcel Duchamp, In Advance
of the Broken Arm. (1964)
 Andersons Response
The problem is Premise 3: it is not the case that all
aesthetic properties are art-aesthetic properties.
Not all aesthetic properties are conventional and
even those that are conventional are not specific
to the art world.
E.g. there are aesthetic properties that derive from
nature.
E.g. some aspects of music rhythm, tone, and
melody can be appreciated without any
knowledge of an art-historical tradition of music.
 The aesthetic definition would be in trouble if intrinsic
aesthetic properties presupposed a concept of art.
Some aesthetic properties do e.g. those that allow
us to identify Campbell Soup Cans as art.
However, all that Anderson needs to do in order to
defeat the charge of circularity is show that that not
all aesthetic properties presuppose a concept of art

He takes himself to have done this.

Has he?
 SECTION III

Discuss two different schema for the aesthetic

definitions of art: descriptive and evaluative.
 Intentionality of an artifact
Three possible readings:
1) The concept of art was partly constitutive of the intention of the
artist. These are art-self-conscious artworks. E.g. In Absence of a
Broken Arm.
2) There is some intention common to all artworks but these need
not be art-self-conscious. E.g. all artists might intend their works
to be beautiful. (Beardsley: the intention is to give it the capacity
to satisfy aesthetic interest.)
3) The artist has the intent to make something that turns out to be
an artwork without either the concept of art or of the aesthetic.
(Kant?).
 1) Aesthetic Intention Strategy
O is a work of art if it is an artefact
created with the intention of being an
object of aesthetic appreciation.
Two DESCRIPTIVE
definition
2) Aesthetic Function Strategy
s O is a work of art if it is an artefact that
functions to provide for aesthetic
appreciation.
EVALUATIVE
Lascaux Cave
(details), ca.
15000 BCE
Chowke Dance Masks
 SECTION IV

Respond to the objection that aesthetic

definitions are too narrow or too broad.
 Revised O is a work of art if it is either 1) an
Descriptiv artefact created with the intention of
being an object of aesthetic
e appreciation or 2) an artefact which is
an instance of art-self-conscious art.
Definition