Philosophy and the Arts
Final Exam Study Sheet
Exam: December 6, 10:15-12:15
Short Answer Section. There will be twelve short answer questions, of which you are to answer 10 (4
points each). The following list is to help you study for that portion of the test:
Mimetic theory
Disenfranchisement of art
Art and knowledge
Catharsis
Tragic hero
Poetry and universal truths
Total cinema
400 Blows
Hanslick’s theory
Tolstoy’s expression theory
Art as collaboration
Art and individuality
Apples of Cezanne
Music and Negative emotion
Language games
Art as cultural practice
Aesthetic experience
Art as dramatization
Essay Question: Two of the following three will be on the final. You are to write on one of the two (60
points):
1.
In Schapiro's discussion of the "Apples of Cézanne" Schapiro interprets Cézanne's still-life as an
example of expression theory. Explain this claim. What is expressed in art according to expression
theory, and how does this expression differ from another type of expression (e.g., political treatise)?
Compare and contrast at least two of the writers we have discussed who expound what can be called
expression theory, and relate these theories to other art forms (e.g., music, literature, dance, etc.).
2.
Wittgenstein argues that aesthetics cannot be made a science, or that one cannot discover the rules and
laws that make something art. What are some of the reasons Wittgenstein offers to make this claim,
and what does he offer in its place to explain why something is or is not art? Be sure to give examples
from the “art-world” during this essay. And finally, much of what Wittgenstein argues is similar to
what Collingwood says about the difference between craft and art. Discuss the similarities and
differences between Wittgenstein and Collingwood.
3.
Aristotle and Plato come at art from two very different directions. By discussing Aristotle’s and Plato’s
theory of art, compare and contrast what each says about art. In the context of this essay, relate the
theories and ideas of Plato and Aristotle to the status or views of art in contemporary society. Be sure
to refer to writers and/or theories as they are found in the text and as discussed in class.