Tough reading a philosophical view on Art! Yes, a 1934 version. This one by John Dewey, who I haven’t read since I read his work for my dissertation. Never thought I would be reading Dewey as part of the RA Favorite Book Project, but alas, I have! Art As Experience presents Dewey’s collection of essays on aesthetics that he presented while at Harvard. Dewey suggests “what is important” in the physical manifestations in what he calls “the expressive object” and later details the “process of experiencing art.” The chapters include a discussion on the creative process, the experience the “art creator” has and how different it is than the “art experiencer” (i.e. the person who is actually viewing art), the organization of energies, “the human contribution,” and finally how art has changed during our civilization. It is a dense book, for sure. For those interested in the study of art, this probably serves as one of the foundational books necessary for your studies; for those in philosophy, certainly can be helpful; for anyone looking for pleasure reading, this is not it. Dewey shares his “hierarchy” of the art forms…. Guess which one? Could it be music? He does give an overview of how the human sensations are changed through the interaction of art. When reading it is interesting to how applicable his theories are to the reader of today. Just illustrates how smart Dewey was… love this guy! Wish I was that smart! Tough read on a gorgeous day in PA sitting by the pool. Lucky the water in the pool was cool to keep me refreshed.
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