In class we came across the problem of Nature not being art. The way I see it Nature is anything that occurs in the world without the influence of Man. Yes, I understand that Man is part of nature therefore shouldn't everything he creates also be a part of Nature? I'm going to say no because of the need to draw a line. Otherwise everything in creation is natural and there will never be a distinction between the works of Man and the works of Nature.
Some of the things that Man has made are grand testaments to our skill and determination and never in nature will there be a Statue of Liberty or a Sistine Chapel. And credit must be given where credit is due.
Additionally, Nature has created works that Man cannot hope to recreate in the same splendor.
So instead of having to make Nature and Art categories of each other, I believe that it makes sense to make them aesthetic peers.
Question: If Nature and Art are aesthetic peers, are there any other categories that need to be amongst them?
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At the risk of being far too inclusive, at the moment in which you identify both nature and art as aesthetic peers, the only peer left would be non-art artifacts.
ReplyDeleteNon-artistic artifacts are equally aesthetic though of course neither art nor nature (by your dichotomous definition)
i wonder how a deity would fit into this picture. consider people who believe that all works are done through one divine being who created us- do you think they appreciate art the same way other people do?
ReplyDeleteI think that if we presuppose the existence of a deity (one that created the world) than I think that our appreciation of art does not change as much as it would grow to be more inclusive. If there is a deity that created nature, than nature could be argued to be art. And then, we would perceive nature as art as opposed to merely aesthetically.
ReplyDeleteBringing in a deity adds another question though. Would we really consider the works of God art if art is something that man makes? What I mean is that the Deity would be above reproach in all aspects. The only difference in the categories would be what we call nature. It would be Art, Non-Art Artifacts, and Works of God. We might as well call it nature still.
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