Formalism - The Hershey Bar of Criticism Formalism means a lot of different things to a lot of different people and refers to many different types of critical work and analysis. But to make a complicated matter simple, we can say pretty safely that formalism refers to critics or criticism that, first and foremost, emphasize the form or structure of a work of art and assume that nothing in that form or structure is really accidental or insignificant. That is, the formal elements in a work of
Formalism In this essay I will show that whilst formalism is an attractive view it does not provide us with an adequate account of mathematics. I will begin with a brief outline of the basic position before going on to discuss it. Finally, I will discuss Hilbert’s programme. In brief, formalism is the view that mathematics is the study of formal systems. This however does not tell the whole story and formalism can be divided into term formalism and game formalism (Shapiro, 2000: pp. 141-148)
The subject of art conservation and restoration has long been debated in the art world. Experts and historians have never agreed that all art must be salvaged at any cost. This paper will examine what art conservation and restoration is, what is involved in these endeavors, and what has been done over the centuries to many of history’s cherished art pieces. To begin this discussion, it is crucial to understand what exactly art conservation and restoration is and what it entails. Art Conservation/Restoration
Bethany Thomas 16 January 2014 Critical Response Essay #1 Morelli, Giovanni. Exerpts from “Principles and Method”, in Italian Painters: Critical Studies of their Work, 1890: Preface written in 1889, translated by C.J. Ffoulkes, London, 1892. Fernie, Eric. Art History and Its Methods: A critical Anthology, Phaidon. 1995. Berenson, Bernard. “Rudiments of Connoisseurship.” In The Study and Criticism of Italian Art,. London: G. Bell and Sons, LTD., 1931. Throughout the Morelli reading, we are shown
In the section, Words of Honor: Contributions of a Feminist Art Critic, Arlene Raven outlines the events in her life that have led her to be an art critic for artists who were not as “bankable” as other artists. In this excerpt, she discusses how her experiences of being raped exposed her to a cruel reality about the oppression women faced despite equal education acquirement. Consequently, she increasingly got more involved in the feminist/political work, creating iconic associations like the Women’s
In “The Theory of the ’Formal Method”’, written in 1925, the author Boris Eichenbaum outlines and explains the evolution of the Russian For- malist movement and, by that, elucidates it’s main arguments. He states that there is no fixed theory or ready-made system which can be described as the Formalist’s theory. The basis of the formalist position is that the ob- ject of literary science, as such, must be the study of those specifics which distinguish it from any other material. For the Formalists
AA theory by Clive Bell suggests the pinpoints the exact characteristic which makes a work true art. According to Bell, an artwork must produce “aesthetic emotion” (365). This aesthetic emotion is drawn from the form and formality of an artwork rather than whether or not it is aesthetically pleasing or how well it imitates what it is trying to depict. The relation of objects to each other, the colors used, and the qualities of the lines are seemingly more important than what emotion or idea the artwork
Stolen and Forged Artwork Since the beginning of its existence, art collecting has been a rather dangerous endeavor. Artwork fakes and even stolen art have been documented since the days of ancient Rome. Even then, the Romans often sought classical Greek artwork and sculptures, and more often than not, works purchased were by Roman artists trying to imitate classic Greek works (Kaufman 36). Today, modern day forgers are still trying to fool art enthusiasts and are becoming increasingly sophisticated
I am sure that we have all, at one time or another, noticed that almost any discussion concerning the merits and demerits of art, if it goes on long enough will come to the qualities of innovation and traditionalism in regards to aesthetic value. As soon as these two qualities are mentioned, there comes an inevitable forming up of those who favor innovation and deride tradition and those who favor tradition and deride innovation. Either side usually admits only enough merit to their opposition, and
In the Wallach Gallery exhibition of Anna Hyatt Huntington’s sculpture (1876-1973), the viewer gets to discover different versions of the emblematic figure that is Joan of Arc, from small bronze medals, to much bigger works of art. A digital replication of the initial statue that was unveiled at Riverside Drive and 93rd Street in December 1915 is also available the public in the gallery. The success of the Joan of Arc – or The Maid of Orleans’s depictions results from the symbol that she fosters
Georges Didi-Huberman is critical of the conventional approaches towards the study of art history. Didi-Huberman takes the view that art history is grounded in the primacy of knowledge, particularly in the vein of Kant, or what he calls a ‘spontaneous philosophy’. While art historians claim to be looking at images across the sweep of time, what they actually do might be described as a sort of forensics process, one in which they analyze, decode and deconstruct works of art in attempt to better
“Defamiliarization”, “alienation effect”, “making strange”, and “denaturalization” that has hitherto concerned many thinkers, underwent so many changes throughout history. This thesis aims to study the evolution of the term defamiliarization up to the field of postmodernism, and to reveal the fact that defamiliarization in its anti-illusionistic manner has turned to be indispensable spirit of the second half of the twentieth century. The analysis of the two works written by two authors from different
discretion by judges remains to be answered. The question in this essay is not about how new laws should be created, but rather about how judges should go about with interpreting laws. This essay will focus on two approaches of law; namely, Formalism and Realism. Formalism in interpretation separates law from other related concepts such as politics and morality; this means that they should apply legal rules in exclusion of their subjective opinion. Realists are mostly about the nature of judicial decision-making
Kant's Formalism Theory The theories of Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher, have had an impact on the formulation and shaping of ethics today. Immanuel Kant graced this earth from 1724 to 1804. During his eighty year life time, he formulated many interesting ideas regarding ethical conduct and motivation. Kant is strictly a non-consequentialist philosopher, which means that he believes that a person's choices should have nothing to do with the desired outcome, but instead mankind simply goes about
Film Making Styles: Realism vs. Formalism All successful filmmakers seek to create an image that will stay with the viewer even after the movie is over. The responsibility of the director is to tell the audience what they should be seeing and how they should be seeing it. Thus being understood, there are different styles of film making. Deciding what type of film being made depends on what type of response the director’s trying to gain from the viewer. What type of film making styles do film directors’
The epic poem, Beowulf, provides an in depth look at a situation of a dual ordeal. Within this poem, the protagonist, Beowulf, is presented with a life full of both internal and external struggles. While Beowulf just battle his natural human predisposition and the vices of pride, greed, anger, cowardice, betrayal, and self-concern, he also must battle vicious and merciless supernatural creatures. Each external battle has a complex link to the internal battle waging within Beowulf himself. When analyzing
The theory most prevalent in “a wife's story” is formalism. Formalism is a theory that states that every thing we need to know about the text is in the text, and that we need no outside knowledge about the time period or the author. “A wife’s story” is about a wolf that turns into a man by night. Throughout the story it does not tell you that he is a wolf, but if you use close reading ,which is a part of formalizm, you can find clues in the story hinting towards the fact that he is a wolf. Throughout
Homeric Formalism in The Iliad and The Odyssey "Much that is terrible takes place in the Homeric poems, but it seldom takes place wordlessly... no speech is so filled with anger or scorn that the particles which express logical and grammatical connections are lacking or out of place." (from "Odysseus' Scar" by Erich Auerbach) In his immaculately detailed study comparing the narrative styles of Homer to those of the Bible, Erich Auerbach hits upon one of the most notable intrigues
Kieślowski’s Three Colors Trilogy can be admired as three unconnected plots but when the three are brought together their narratives express the three values brought about by the ideals of the French Revolution: liberty, equality, and fraternity. The three films seemingly build on each other and can only be understood as a collection. More specifically, each film embodies a desire. Blue, white and red pose a key meaning to these films narratives that Kieślowski uses as a vice to convey the struggle
Clive Bell theorizes art in terms of a theory known as Formalism. Formalism is based upon a relatively simple line of logic. All art produces in the viewer an emotion. This emotion is not different but the same for all people in that it is known as the Aesthetic Emotion. There must be a factor common to all works of art that produces in the viewer a state of Aesthetic Emotion thus defining the works as art. This common factor is form. Formalism defines artworks as that which has significant form