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Single Idea 12159

[filed under theme 21. Aesthetics / C. Artistic Issues / 1. Artistic Intentions ]

Full Idea

A person for whom it made no difference whether a sculpture was carved by wind and rain or by human hand would be unable to interpret or perceive sculptures - even though the interpretation of sculpture is not the reading of an intention.

Gist of Idea

Without intentions we can't perceive sculpture, but that is not the whole story

Source

Roger Scruton (Public Text and Common Reader [1982], p.15)

Book Ref

Scruton,Roger: 'The Aesthetic Understanding' [Methuen 1983], p.15

A Reaction

Scruton compares it to the role of intention in language, where there is objective meaning, even though intention is basic to speech.

The 14 ideas with the same theme [status of an artist's intentions in aesthetics]:

7270 Historical interpretation aims to recapture the author's view of the work [Croce]
20432 When viewing art, rather than flowers, we are aware of purpose, and sympathy with its creator [Fry]
23903 When we admire a work, we see ourselves as its creator [Weil]
20400 Intentions either succeed or fail, so external evidence for them is always irrelevant [Wimsatt/Beardsley, by Davies,S]
7266 The author's intentions are irrelevant to the judgement of a work's success [Wimsatt/Beardsley]
7268 The thoughts of a poem should be imputed to the dramatic speaker, and hardly at all to the poet [Wimsatt/Beardsley]
7267 Poetry, unlike messages, can be successful without communicating intentions [Wimsatt/Beardsley]
7269 The intentional fallacy is a romantic one [Wimsatt/Beardsley]
7271 Biography can reveal meanings and dramatic character, as well as possible intentions [Wimsatt/Beardsley]
12159 Without intentions we can't perceive sculpture, but that is not the whole story [Scruton]
20395 The title of a painting can be vital, and the artist decrees who the portrait represents [Davies,S]
20396 We must know what the work is meant to be, to evaluate the artist's achievement [Davies,S]
20399 Intentionalism says either meaning just is intention, or ('moderate') meaning is successful intention [Davies,S]
20401 The meaning is given by the audience's best guess at the author's intentions [Davies,S]