Dewey - Summary of Art as Experience - An Orientation

November 9, 2013

Summary Interpretation of John Dewey Art as Experience.

             Philosophies and theories have diverged from meaningful insights of art.  Art consists of living human experiences, and it contributes directly to the enrichment of life.  To often ideas of artistic works are focused on objects rather than experiences.  Artifacts and works are removed from their place of utility, and they lose significant contextual references.  There is also a tendency to accept great works of art without question.  These works have taken on auras of their own, and again, they are viewed primarily as objects rather than the human experiences that inspired them.    

            Artistic endeavors are present in any human activity where the author produces works with satisfaction, care and authenticity.  It can range from the child engaged in a drawing, to the laborer and to the artist.  Movies, music, comic strips and many other mediums are generally not considered art.  These notions are in error, but current social attitudes only view art as things found in museums. Museum works are placed on pedestals, they no longer resemble everyday experiences, and they become impediments to understanding and experiencing the essence art.

            The value of art has been confused, as aesthetic experience has replaced “the normal processes of living.”   Most ancient artifacts were once objects of utility and communal importance.   In their time, they were “enhancements of the processes of everyday life” and they reflected “all the rhythmic crises that punctuate the stream of living.”   We have the ability to experience and explore the very essence of life from another culture, but we do not.  Instead, we objectify the human experience and reduce the work to an object of beauty or craft. Human connections and experiences are lost as objects are removed from their cultural and utilitarian environments that inspired them.  

            We need to understand that art is created from the normal experiences of life.  People do not live within themselves.  Our senses are specifically designed to interact with the environment that is exterior to our being.  Exchanges with our environment become the forge of human experiences.  Human life is always in disorder as the world is indifferent and frequently hostile to us.  These challenges throw us out of balance and we are forced to adapt and reconcile change.  Emotion manifests when there is a break in our equilibrium, and they force personal reflection.  It is our nature to adjust and reconcile discord through emotion, and to reflect on those objects that are the causation of our conflict.  These changes, and our reactions to them, “interlock and sustain one another,” and they form coherence and endurance over time.  Tension with our environment, or constantly finding resolution against resistance and change, are at the heart of the human experience. We are able to feel aesthetic qualities because of the rhythms and discordances of everyday life, and those qualities are intensified when we move from a state of disturbance to that of resolution and harmony.

            When conflict arises we rely on our memories of harmony and they become our motivation for finding resolution.  However, our memories and our ability to perceive innumerable possible outcomes can interfere with our resolutions.  It is our nature to reflect on the past and focus on lost opportunities, or wishes in which we took alternate courses of action.  The future rushes on us and we fret about all of the possible outcomes.  The past can become a wasteland of regret and the future can overwhelm us with worry.  When in this cycle, we attempt to arouse passions of the future to satiate past regrets.  Both behaviors serve little purpose and foster illusory forms of resolution.  However, we have the ability to learn from the past and forge a more meaningful future. When we are fully present, living in the here and now, we find equilibrium where the “past reinforces the present” and works to manifest insights that deepen our future.   Art celebrates these moments of temporal equilibrium, creativity and problem solving.  

            People grow through the “essential conditions of life,” both great and small.  Art is a reflection of human growth as we navigate through life and ponder on our possibilities. This cycle deepens our understanding and allows us to move forward with greater certainty and understanding. 

           

Works Cited

Dewey, John. Art as Experience. New York: Berkley Publishing Group. 1980. Print