Aesthetics and the Arts (1/3)

David Hume 

Taste and the Common sentiments of mankind

Before Hume came along the art world was a place that only the elite could stand in, pieces were judged by intricacy and attention to detail but that all changed with the idea of taste. Taste referred more to the emotions one felt when experiencing a certain work of art, this led the way for the aesthetic experience. This shifted the entire aspect of how art was viewed and opened the way for an evolution in style and experience. This also created two contradictory means of interpretation: on one hand if something is beautiful to someone then that is the end of the conversation, but one would also agree that Picasso has more artistic flare than a street sign. To counter this notion Hume devised standards for taste distinguishing between high standards and low standards.  Hume also created two tests for determining standards:

Test 1

1.      Right person to examine art, one who has a “fragile imagination”

2.      Practice looking at pieces of art to distinguish the good from the bad

3.      Take more than one if not several looks at the art before making a decision

4.      Compare the work along with others like it

5.      Free the mind from all predetermined judgment and prejudice

Test 2

The second test is merely the test of time for once a piece has surpassed ages of art culture it has become part of the common sentiments of mankind. Today pieces like Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Vincent Van Gogh’s starry night have stood the test of time and are considered some of the greatest works ever done but at the time they were painted that was not the common belief: Makes you wonder what pieces in our life time will be considered the next great work of art.