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Single Idea 20336

[filed under theme 21. Aesthetics / B. Nature of Art / 6. Art as Institution ]

Full Idea

'Style' would seem to be a concept that cannot be applied to a work solely on the basis of what is represented and yet it is also essential to a proper understanding or appreciation of a work.

Gist of Idea

Style can't be seen directly within a work, but appreciation needs a grasp of style

Source

Richard Wollheim (Art and Its Objects [1968], 32)

Book Ref

Wollheim,Richard: 'Art and Its Objects' [Penguin 1975], p.82


A Reaction

Sounds right. One long held musical note creates an expectation which depends on the presumed style of the piece of music. A single bar from a piece may well not exhibit its characteristic style.


The 16 ideas from Richard Wollheim

It is claimed that the expressive properties of artworks are non-physical [Wollheim]
A drawing only represents Napoleon if the artist intended it to [Wollheim]
If artworks are not physical objects, they are either ideal entities, or collections of phenomena [Wollheim]
The ideal theory says art is an intuition, shaped by a particular process, and presented in public [Wollheim]
The ideal theory of art neglects both the audience and the medium employed [Wollheim]
Style can't be seen directly within a work, but appreciation needs a grasp of style [Wollheim]
The traditional view is that knowledge of its genre to essential to appreciating literature [Wollheim]
We often treat a type as if it were a sort of token [Wollheim]
An interpretation adds further properties to the generic piece of music [Wollheim]
A musical performance has virtually the same features as the piece of music [Wollheim]
Interpretation is performance for some arts, and critical for all arts [Wollheim]
A love of nature must precede a love of art [Wollheim]
Some say art must have verbalisable expression, and others say the opposite! [Wollheim]
If beauty needs organisation, then totally simple things can't be beautiful [Wollheim]
A criterion of identity for works of art would be easier than a definition [Wollheim]
Classes rarely share properties with their members - unlike universals and types [Wollheim]