Art is in itself an abstract concept, and as explained by Fleming (2012), it prompts us into making assumptions, which complicates the process of trying to distinguish high and low art. For example, a work of fiction may have more content than an abstract painting but it does not mean that it is necessarily superior. Fleming (2012) argues that making a distinction between high and low art may be misleading. The premise behind this is that an attempt to discriminate art places a lower value on the art itself. It raises important questions to how it is we perceive art and the economic value attached to it. The valuation of art rests on the categorization of it. With the subjectivity associated with the field, having categories limits the artist’s ability to be creative. The paper concisely examines if the classification of art into either low or high is necessary. It also provides alternatives to defining artistic works in varied ways that encourage creativity and appreciation of art.
The categorization of art has roots from various approaches, which include separatist and relativistic. The separatist approach as explained by Fleming (2012) supports the classification of art. However, the relativistic takes on a broad and complex form in that determining the value of high or low art takes a complicated approach. The best approach that minimizes bias in evaluating works of art is the relativistic one because then the quality of art rests on the effect it transfers to the audience. Fleming (2012), emphasizes how judgments of high and low art are unhelpful as they over generalize and have overtones of class associations. This means that it is better to treat every work of art as equal.
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The term, ‘a great piece of work’ is one commonly referenced in the appreciation of art. It helps us better understand art as the term allows us to judge the work on the merit of aesthetics and uniqueness. Utilizing such a framework helps do away with the complexity that comes with defining art as either low or high.
Distinctions between low and high art present a set of challenges concerning teaching. It encourages an analysis of particular works of art while disregarding others. Some works of art are indeed better and by just appreciating them, the categorizations become unnecessary.
References
Fleming, Mike. (2012). The Arts in Education: An Introduction to Aesthetics, Theory and Pedagogy. New York: Routledge.
