Since the era of Aristotle, aesthetics has been among the most challenging problems for philosophers to solve. It is possible to categorize the many theories of aesthetics into two classes: the cognitivist and idealists, although they differ in several aspects. Idealists maintain that a person can use an objective view to examine the aesthetic value of an artwork while cognitivists think an assessment of aesthetics is open to discussion. Martin Gardner, one of the most notable objectivists, champions that the capacity of artwork to stand the test over time would reveal how objective this was. The essay explores the argument of Gardner for the objectivist view of art.
Objectivist View of Art
Based on Martin Gardner who fosters the objectivist view; art is the underpinning of the artist and occurs separately from the audience. Parthenon is a good example to demonstrate Gardner’s objectivism perspective of art. It refers to the Ancient Greek temple in Athens committed to the patron goddess of the city. The sanctuary was developed to articulate an impression of mathematical perfection by arrangement of its many columns to portray the ways in which people perceive it. People still considers Parthenon as the masterwork of architecture despite having been there for over two millennia (Vaughn, 2018). Hence, Gardner considers Parthenon as the piece of art because it was aesthetically treasured during that era. I concur with this perspective to a certain extent and believe that art is the product of the mind of artists and contemplates that it is in the eyes of the beholder. Hence, art is subjective and may be interpreted in various ways by different persons. It implies that what an individual believes to be beautiful may be ugly to another person (Vaughn, 2015). One person could think it has meaning but another one may see it to be meaningless.
Consequently, art is seen to be subjective because each person experiences it in their way. One concurs with Gardner based on Parthenon that art is an object of the artist’s mind. An individual believes that the intentions of artists are essential to understand art. A person trusts that the implication of art is not always definite, and the audience can perceive different things in art (Vaughn, 2015). Art is considered subjective as an individual thinks it can be interpreted and understood in different ways by different individuals.
Gardner’s Theory and Its Strengths and Weaknesses
In Gardner’s perspective, an objectivist view of artwork is that all persons are associated and share basic needs and wants. He says that people, “have a fundamental human nature, with similar demands, “some of which are ostensible and aesthetic (Vaughn, 2015, p.183). Gardner’s theory of art is focused on the concept that the intention of an artist contributes to the artwork. Thus, one can rate the art’s aesthetic value as to how well it meets the needs of the audience. One of the strengths that this theory has is it may explain reasons why certain artworks are more popular than others. For instance, Parthenon is a piece of art that Gardner theory consider an object. It presents a good example of the way objectivism can be advantageous because it applies the biological similarities in people’s eyesight to develop illusion of perfect symmetry (Vaughn, 2018). Nonetheless, this theory presents some weaknesses, and one of them is that it fails to consider the audience’s experience of the artwork. One thinks that art is a product of the intent of an artist and the experience of a viewer is secondary.
Conclusion
In summary, I agree with Gardner’s theory concerning artwork as it is the viewer’s capability of relating to the artwork more deeply and understanding the artist’s intention. One thinks that art is the artist’s intended product and the experience of a viewer is secondary. One believes that the intention of the artist is the most significant aspect of determining if or not the artwork was successful.
References
Vaughn, L. (2015). Doing ethics: Moral reasoning, theory, and contemporary issues. WW Norton & Company.
Vaughn, L. (2018). Philosophy here and now: Powerful ideas in everyday life. Oxford University Press, USA.