What Is Art According to Famous Thinkers Through History?

Art|Art History

From the dawn of civilization, art has been a part of human life. It has been used to express emotion, create beauty, and tell stories.

Famous thinkers throughout history have had their own unique perspectives on what art is. Some have viewed it as merely decoration while others have seen it as a way to shed light on important issues.

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato is perhaps one of the most influential thinkers when it comes to art. He saw art as an imitation of reality and believed that it could be used to educate and enlighten people about important issues in society. He was also one of the earliest proponents of censorship when it came to art.

The Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci also had his own views on art. He believed that true art was able to capture beauty and emotion in a way that no other form could. He viewed art as a means for man to escape from his mundane existence and delve into something greater.

The German philosopher Immanuel Kant was another famous thinker who had his own ideas about the purpose of art. He believed that true art should inspire people to think more deeply about the world around them and challenge their preconceived notions. Kant viewed art as a way for humans to experience something beyond themselves.

Modern thinkers such as John Dewey, Stanley Cavell, and Susan Sontag have also weighed in on what they believe constitutes good art. Dewey saw art as an expression of individual experience while Cavell argued that true understanding of culture could only be achieved through engagement with works of art. Sontag took this idea further by believing that great works of art can open up our eyes to different ways of seeing the world.

At its core, all these different views on what constitutes good or bad artwork come down to personal opinion. What one person sees as beautiful or meaningful may not be seen in the same light by another individual.

In this sense, there can never truly be an objective definition for what is considered “good” or “bad” artwork.

Conclusion: What is Art According to Famous Thinkers Through History? The answer is subjective; there is no single answer that applies across all time periods and cultures. Different famous thinkers have had varying views on how best to define ‘art’, but ultimately their opinions are just that – opinions – which cannot be taken as absolute truths.