Representation (imitation, realism, mimesis):
The essence of art is to picture or portray reality. Good art is an accurate mirror on the world, imitating nature or some ideal form. (Plato, Aristotle)

Expressionism (emotionalism):
The essence of art is expression of the inner emotions, feelings, moods, and mental states of the artist. Good art effectively and sincerely brings these inner states to an external objectification. (R.J. Collingwood)

Formalism:
The essence of art is "significant form" - lines, shapes, colors, and other formal properties of the work; representation, expression, and other subject matter are irrelevant. Good art uses formal elements to trigger an "aesthetic emotion" in sensitive observers. (Clive Bell, Clement Greenberg)

Communication of moral and religious ideas:
The essence of art is the communication of important moral and religious values from the artist to the observer. Good art is sincere communication by the artist which "infects" the observers with those important moral ideas. (Leo Tolstoy, some aspects of Plato)

Symbolic (non-verbal) communication:
The essence of art is the communication of important ideas and other knowledge through symbolic (non-verbal) languages. Good art communicates its meaning effectively in this non-verbal language. (Susanne Langer, Ernst Cassirer, Nelson Goodman)

Instrumentalism (pragmatism, experience):
The essence of art is its usefulness in helping us to comprehend and improve our overall life experiences. Good art is always a means to some important end. (John Dewey, Monroe Beardsley)

Essentialism:
Any claim that art has an "essence" - that is, that there are necessary and sufficient conditions for art -- a "sine qua non" without which something is not art. The six theories listed above are all essentialist theories.

July 24, 2000