Raymond Aesthetics Beland 401-743-7692 [e-mail] Team Infinity, lol! Team Awesome Team Infinity Team Bring Back Brady Team One Game- when the song plays, you have to be the first to guess. You can name song, artist, or if it comes from pop culture name that. You can have up to 3 points. 1. Public Enemy- (Flava from Flavor of Love) 2. Blitzkrieg 3. The Revelie 4. Monty Python- Lumberjack Song 5. Norah Jones- Sunrise 6. Gin and Juice (AntiFlag?) 7. Scarborough Fair- Simon and Garfunkel 8. MASH 9. Pink Panther- Henry Mancini 10. I'm not Your Stepping Stone- Sex Pistols 11. Mexican Radio 12. Hello Goodbye- not beatles- Blue Note 13. Whole Lotta Love 14. Jefferson Airplane- White Rabbit 15. Blister in the Sun16. Meatloaf 17. White and Dirty (?) 18. Limbo Rock- Chubby Checker 19. Philosopher Drinking Song 20. Wang Chung 21. Popcorn 22. Day-o/Banana Boat Song- Beetlejuice- Harry Belafonte 23. Walk Like an Egyptian- Bangles 24. Amazing Grace 25. Greensleeves 26. Mele Kalikimaka- Bing Crosby- with the Andrews Sisters 27. Louie Louie- Kingsmen 28. Blitzkrieg Bob 29. Surfin USA- Beach Boys 30. Yakkety Yak- Coasters 31. Cherry Pie 32. California Girls- Beach Boys 33. The Godfather Waltz 34. Somebody to Love- Airplane 35. Great Big Sea- Merrimac 36. La Vie En Rose- Edith Piaf 37. Mickey- Toni Basil 38. Mark Gunn
39. Barenaked Ladies- Elf's Lament 40. NWA 41. Grateful Dead- Uncle John's Band 42. Eminem- Slim Shady 43. Stairway to Heaven 44. We Wish You A Merry Christmas- bagpipe version 45. Northern Exposure theme 46. Cranberries- UK mix 47. The Racist Song- Muppets Racism- from Avenue Cue 48. We Three Kings- Blue Hawaiians 49. Symphony of Destruction 50. Bellydancing 51. The Hustle
What did you expect when you came into the class? 3 expectations and 3 wants. I expected: 1. to see lots of pictures- you know, the classics, during the class, and also lots of "deviant art"! 2. To learn about what makes a person or a painting beautiful in a philosophical way 3. To share my idea of why and how people define what's beautiful in the class- I have my own ideas of what and why people think is beautiful
1. I want to learn about the shapes, ways, etc that we see when we think of shapes and faces and scenes 2. I want to learn more how to define what I think is beautiful, how to create what I think is beautiful and analyze what others' favorite styles and definitions of beauty are. I'm a lover of beautiful things. 3. I want to talk about beautiful things and not beautiful things- hey! Guilty!
For next Week! * * * * * * * *
9/15/08 Don't read off a paper for the assignment (about an object that is beautiful). Bring in a cake covered in fondant and decorated- silver white or starlight cake. Even better, bring in Nazi flag. Yes, that way I can argue along Hume's lines of prejudices and different acculturation and such. David Hume It's almost saying if you judge someone, you can be sure that person would be judging you. Was he a relativist? What is a relatvist- not everyone sees beauty in the same object. An absolutist would confirm to the standards of a law or scale of that time or place. An absolutist would say why they know something is different. A relativist would say that it depends upon your culture and background or individual tastes. We say something is good or bad, and have lots of different reasons why. People naturally want to have a standard of which to measure up beauty. We want to know what's beautiful and what's not. What is everyone's place to eat for dinner? IHOP, Spain, Dolce Vita, Twin Oaks, etc- so many different ones. Everyone decides what's beautiful and what's not. Some people look at someone they respect and imitate their opinion or think that person sets the standard. If I put up art on my walls, I want to put up the best art- how do I know what that is? All sentiment is right- David Hume. If everybody already has their own taste or sentiment, how can one be right or wrong. It is your opinion. Why is my opinion right? Because it satisfies me, it is based on my experience, and because the way you feel about something and every experience you ever had has no reference beyond itself. Opinions are completely within our own world- "Ow! That hurt" "Duh, no it didn't" Everybody has a different opinion, but out of all the opinions, only one is right? How do we figure out which one? No sentiment really represents what is in the object. It's just a reaction between the object and your brain. Doesn't he contradict himself- by saying that beauty is relative but also by saying that there is one right opinion. But by going beyond just your opinion, there can be an objective maybe. What he's saying is that you can't paint a house beautiful- you can paint it blue, you can paint it plum, you can't paint it beautiful. When we say something is beautiful, it has to go beyond our opinions, since our opinions don't mean anything. Hume says that it is the arrangement of parts- people who think hard and long and are smart can figure out what these things are. How do we now Shakespeare's good? Why do people still read Homer? There must be some reason these people stood the test of time. Maybe it is a basic human experience- sorrow, joy, losing a child or father- most of it is universal. A priori- before experience, without prior knowledge A posteriori- after experience 2+2=4 How do you know it? a2 + b2 = c2- Pythagoras This was true before Pythagoras figured it out. Hume asks is it possible that we can know what the rules of beauty are, like the math questioncan the rules be discovered? No, none. We cannot know and reason them- it is through induction- looking atthe particulars and building up. Beauty doesn't exist independently- rules of art are founded only on experience. There may be something there, a certain formula or arrangement, that makes something good or bad beauty-wise.
If you want to know if a movie is good or not, you go to a critic for help. Why do you trust Ebert and Roeper? Because they know a lot about it. With a movie, you may like the reviews they gave before once you saw the movie. Wine tasters- They tasted the wine- one tasted iron, one tasted leather, and when they got to the bottom they found a key on a leather strap. These guys are wine experts. What qualities must a judge of something have? What kind of organs? Sensory. The organs are so fine they allow nothing to escape them, and so refined they pick up on everything. Not everyone picks up on the subtleties. Has anyone ever had a dinner at a friend's house, a friend who is just learning how to cook- and they put the wrong ingredients? If I'm going to be a food critic, and I can't smell, I can't be as good a critic. You also have to be able to pick up on the subtleties. If I've been drinking something my entire life, do I have enough breadth or width in my knowledge to judge drinks? You need to be able to compare. Can you just do it once and say it's perfect? No, you need to practice. Duh! You need to do something often to keep your organs developed. You also have to be free from prejudice and bias. Sounds organs, delicacy of taste, practice, experience, unbiased. How do you get rid of bias- first recognize it, practice getting rid of it. If you hate country music, could you be a good music critic- only if you suspend the prejudice. You also need to look at something many times in many different ways. Something you would judge- music. Pick a genre- like rap, or hard rock. I want to be good at hard rock. I have to have a good hearing tool- my ears. Have to listen to a lot of different rock artists. You have to understand the arrangements and composition of the music. You need to hear the music before, and over and over. I need to be able to hear the composition and arrangement. You have to listen to other different kinds of music. I need to listen to White Snake, Metalllica, etc. Also different time periods. What would Hume say? Suspend your own judgment to try to see someone else's point of view. What is the stereotypical teenager like? They think they know everything, they only care what's happening right now. Rebellion. These folks have passion, zest for life, nothing you get in the old people. Elderly people like wise, philosophical reflections. Who do we turn to to decide what's beautiful? Ourselves? The experts? What we think? People with wisdom? Judges.
CHOCOLATE TASTING 3 CATEGORIES: 1. Hershey's- looks: thick, creamy, bulbous, unrefined, plain brown, chunky, coarse, crumbly Smell: Salty, simple, harsh, brash Bite: Spongy, coarse, crumbly, soft, thick,
Taste: Salty, unrefined, loud, simple, sweet, milky, creamy, like food instead of chocolate, too "kiddish" 2. Ghiradelli's- looks: honey brown, warm, smooth, flat, fancy, Smell: Subtle, spicy, creamy Bite: Harder, compact, Taste: Subtle, soft, light, airy, sweet, like honey or something 3. Santa...: looks: dark, shiny, hard, thick, crisp Smell: Hard, woody, dark, bitter, Bite- hard, harsh, big Taste: bitter, dark, subtle, quiet, hard, like spices, something spicier, not as sweet
Hershey's- Crayola Brown, classic brown, semi-dark color, bubbles, coarser, grainy, sweeter, caramel, buttery milky cocoa, Haloween, dull sound like clay, soft, melty got and mushy quick and was thick, stayed on your tongue, creamy, salty, soapy in a good way, mediocre, chocolate milk, chocolate syrup, white acidy, very milky and very cheap tasting, artificial $1.00 for big bar Ghiradelli's- smooth, subtler, creamy rather than milk, raisins, butterscotch caramel, milky, smoother and highter quality, vanilla subtle bitter, tasted like catnip, caramel, lime caramel, rich, subtle, sweet, honey, smooth and pleasant, coffee hazelnut $2 and change for a big bar Santa...- clean break, smooth finish with that snap, bitter, berry smell, hazelnut, coffee vanilla, richer- more depth, more of a crack to bite, strong flavor and didnt melt so quickly, finished quickly off the palate, cherries, dried cherries, wine at the end and lemony, hazelnut, espresso, coffee, good chocolate frosting, hot chocolate should taste like, bitter, strong and delicate at the same time, Christmas- tasted more special, $1.50 a bar- buy one get one free If you like this chocolate, try Green and Black's dark chocolate at Target. More of a cherry flavor. However they grow it, this is what comes up from the ground where they grow it. The higher the cocoa, the longer it takes to melt, the crisper and shinier, harder. South American Indians used to put peppers in thick cocoa drinks. Chocolate soothes the throat. Did people used to smoke chocolate? It can be an aphrodesiac. There is a medicinal chocolate being developed. Dark chocolate has anti-oxidants like red wine. Dark chocolate is usually natural. Most candy bars are modified foods. 8 insect legs in the average chocolate bar. Someone got parasites from eating cheap chocolate. Cocoa beans have been used as currency. Cocoa plantations are staffed in a certain way in South America- modern slavery- sweatshops, you can leave, but you won't live and may starve. Coffee and chocolate help fuel slavery in the world. White chocolate is cocoa butter, vanilla and sugar, but not real chocolate. In Switzerland and Egypt, the cocoa is different than in the US so the chocolate tastes different. Hershey's takes all the chocolate they buy and mixes it together. By taking all the different chocolates and milk and combining it all together it gives it a signature taste. How do we decide what is chocolate? It has to have a certain chocolate content. Everybody has a different taste and tastes different things. There is nothing wrong with liking different things. Who do we trust when it comes to chocolate? Which chocolate is the best? How can we tell? People picked up different things, like the key in the leather. We're doing a pseudoscientific study, but it doesn't affect the fact of which you like better.
9/29/08 Eminem assignment not due until next week. Dewey talks about an experience. Think about an example of a great time you had. Maybe a date, or a dinner or a conversation. Put yourself back there. How would you describe that situation. Some say transcendent- changing your perspective, changing a realization you had before. There's a change there, you may view life differently from that point forward. The viewer and the viewed- or, if you want to put some philosophy language on it, the perceiver. We focus on the interaction between the two right now. 2x=10 x= 10/2 x=5 When we think we think in symbols and we think, huh, this is a problem. We get engaged and work on it, and ask what the artist is talking about? Dewey says that getting into the problem is the aesthetic emotion. In Dewey's world, thinking and aesthetic experiences are the same sort of thing. A sad song produces an emotion. Emotion can get you through the experience of a painting or movie, etc. Does that happen every day? Not usually. Uniqueness makes it an experience. How do you know whether someone has had that aesthetic experience? Instantly, it has to be something new. Like if someone suddenly dies. Something that you haven't thought about or done, that brought you to a new level of thinking. Maybe it doesn't effect the person unless they've had the experience themselves. What you enjoy and like may also play a role. Level of experience. How has it changed your life or perspective? How do we know we've had an aesthetic experience? If you keep going back out for steak again and again, it may get boring. Some people listen to music every day and never get tired of it, but do you keep the same CD in your player for a year? No. Dewey says that every time you listen or eat or whatever, you get a unique experience, or are looking for something new. The way you take an experience is individualized. No matter what you think about that burger or that steak, in your world, you're absolutely right. When someone judges something, they are making an external claim and are stepping out of their little world. Hegel- offers a very succint definition of art. 1. In order for something to be art, it has to be made by humans, because you need to have the human spirit working on it and the internal part of us, because nature isn't going to bother to put that one little thing into the piece, 2. Has to address the senses- be made for humans- how else will we interact with the world?, 3. It has to have an end bound up- maybe it has some kind of universal truth beyond you- maybe an intuition. Some people think that art is put up for public display. Other people think that it is in our headswe decide what art is. Our ideas of art evolve over time. Rubenesque- full bodied, curvy, fluffy. That was an ideal body shape. Now, we would say it is fat. People are skinny now. Henry VIII
was fat- why are all the older folks bigger? You could eat because you were wealthy. You were lucky to be so fat. An experience is whole, has some unity, and you take something out of it. Music- is organized sound. But what about a machine going for 3 minutes? What kinds or organized sounds aren't music though? Speaking, poetry, car, Doppler effect, dog barking, what is a dog barks Jingle Bells, humpback whale, does a human have to be involved? Organized sound is too broad. Le'ts take another one- scruton. Roger describes it as a sounds that exists in a musical field of force. What's a musical field of force? Maybe it has pitch, scales. Rhythm, harmony. But it's got to fit into some framework. In order for there to be a framework, what do we need? Rules, a guide, pattern, what it's not, If a tree falls in the woods, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? If someone plays a Britney Spears song in the woods and no one hears it, does it make a sound? We need a listener. Put a mike in the woods, but you would still have humans listening. If you need a perceiver in order for the music to exist, can it still exist? It's still moving air waves. But there are no people in there to put it into a framework. Barkly is a philosopher and he was dealing with the existence of objects. If you turn the lights off, does the chair exist cause you can't see it? How do you know if there's a sound if you didn't hear it? You have to call in the all perceiving perceiver. But how do you know there is an all perceiving perceiver? Thomas Aquinas combined his philosophies with the Cathlic Church teachings. In the Middle East they had doctors performing on cataracts and lenses and all that. Aquinas said that science and philosophy would get you only so far, and to get farther to deity, you need faith. Eastern thought would say the oppositeThe socks- has anyone expeienced the dreaded dryer gremlins. You put something in and it somehow never comes out. When you start creating extra entities to explain a problem, you talk about applying Ockham's Razor- it basically says you need to find the simplest solution to the problem- don't go adding extra entities and explanations. Ockham's Razor shaves away the excess and allows us to answer the question simply. Do we need to talk about something to prove that it is art? Do we really need to have this talk about something we can't measure. General Levinson- in order to have music, you have to have sounds that do 3 things. 1. They have to intensify an experience. 2. We have to have an active engagement with the sounds. Listen or dance or sing or something. 3. They have to be regarded primarily as sounds. How does music intensify an experience? You put on the corresponding music to your corresponding mood. It exaggerates what's happening in the movie. You hear a theme and know what's going to happen next. Ride of the Valkyries in Apocalypse Now. Jaws- you know there's a shark coming. Here Comes the Bride. What is a musical work? It's played more than once. It's an organized work. It has a repeating effect- it's made its mark. Every part hangs together and enhances each other. Think of 3 songs and explain why each one is music- all have harmony, all are in a major key, The last song has funny lyrics, but the music is very similar to the other one. The tone ranges. Music can be changed and adjusted. Some were more upbeat than the others. The basis of all three are the harmony and the tone. They all have a meter or beat that holds together. Intensifies the experience of Christmastime, and it is played year after year and it is understood by people to
represent a certain thing or time of year. Every note has a number.