The Aesthetics
of Natural
EnvironmentsArnold Berleant
Presentation by:
Cody Shoemaker
Two Aesthetics or One?
ART
-
NATURE
Berleant questions whether we should appreciate art and nature in the
same manner, or have different approaches for the two.
Supports that natural objects can have just as much aesthetic value as
does a painting but we must be careful how we appreciate them.
In this essay, Berleant intends to suggest that nature appreciation is “no
peripheral matter” and that it has great importance in the world of
philosophy.
Traditional View of Aesthetic
Appreciation- Disinterested
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Originally, this idea was presented by Kant
This view requires the need to adopt a special attitude by
setting aside personal interests of “sense or reason” in order
to fully appreciate an object free of distractions.
By using borders in art we are able to grasp the object “in a
single view”, and from here we can find its beauty.
“Self-sufficiency, completeness, and unity”
Problems with the Disinterested
Theory
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Berleant suggests that this theory is incapable of
describing architecture (fine art) in a way in which we
can fully appreciate it.
A building is not something that can be fully
appreciated by looking at a still frame picture of it.
There is more to the building than its initial appearance.
Exterior
Berleant’s Engagement
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A building must be “moved through” and experienced first
hand to appreciate it aesthetically.
We must engage ourselves with the object somehow.
Some think practical activities such as these may subtract
from the level of aesthetic appreciation one may have,
and strive for a separation between art and utility.
Berleant insists that engagement can only add to
appreciation. He continues to further extend this idea
throughout the reading.
Interior
Further Problems of Disinterested Theory
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Impossible to maintain a distinction between beauty
and utility.
Form and function closely related.
“..stirring up somatic and affective responses, and
engaging us in ways that are difficult to reconcile with
the contemplative ideal.”
Greater problems arise when the traditional theory is
applied to nature.
Traditional Theory and Nature
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If we are to be disinterested in nature we might as
well appreciate a landscape painting instead of
the landscape itself.
Difficult to look at nature as a contemplative
object because we are constantly surrounded by it
and participate in it.
Disinterested
Engaged
Dualistic Compromise
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Some choose to appreciate art based on the skill
of the creator who made the art.
This is impossible in nature, so we have to
appreciate the order by which natural forces
have produced objects. This entails 2 separate
aesthetics.
The theories so far are based on objectivity, but it is
difficult to objectify nature.
All art seems to force engagement..
- Viewer’s participation is need to complete a work of
art.
- The objects of art are experienced when we are
forced to contemplate the object.
- Sculpture emits a vibe of “charmed space” which we
feel when appreciating it.
- History of modern art is a history of perception, not a
history of objects.
- Perception refers to a somatic engagement.
Possibly an account based on a split between
nature and culture..
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The aim of this account may be to address the qualities
and demands of the environment.
Hard sciences deal with nature, soft sciences deal with
culture.
This seems implausible when viewing art because art is a
product of culture yet it emulates the natural scientific
model.
This view misrepresents nature. Nature can’t be
separate from culture because there is no place that
humans have not affected.
Nature as a Cultural
Artifact
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Our conception of nature changes based on our
culture and the time in which we experience it.
People from the 1700’s had a different viewpoint
on nature than we do today.
Hence, it is hard to say that the traditional
aesthetic can encompass these large variety of
viewpoints.
The Sublime
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Kant suggested the sublime is one aspect of aesthetic
appreciation in nature. Capacity of the natural world to
exceed our powers of framing and control.
Entails continuity and engagement.
Kant says the sublime is grasped by reason and this is how
we reach an aesthetic appreciation.
Aesthetics of Nature
Applied to Art
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Continuity and perceptual immersion occur in nature
as well as in art.
Many artworks rely on the perceiver to evoke an
emotion, which leads to an aesthetic appreciation.
Art and nature are experienced perceptually and
appreciated aesthetically.
This view requires engagement.
The Beloved
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Sexual intercourse can not be appreciated
aesthetically from the disinterested standpoint.
“Value dwells on sensuous and other perceptual
qualities of the situation.”
Conclusion
 Nature
and art are often fused and can
be appreciated in the same manner.
 Hence, a single aesthetic applies to
nature and art because they are both
cultural constructs. The are one in the
same thing.
 Engagement encompasses art and
nature. Opens regions of experience.