Approach to Art - UCLA Lecture 1966

Why do we listen to music first and save architecture for last? Consider the dimensions of media. Take for instance subject matter; the problem being how to "chop" it up in order to make some sense out  of the material. We first see what constitutes this body of factual, objective material for at this level it is objective. It is our attitude towards it, what has been written about it, or thought that are not and can not be objective and factual. This is what we are mainly dealing with here, because we do not have the actual works of art- we have reproductions, stories, and ideas about them. What is in the nature of the various works of art that permit them to be classified into different categories? In order to have a survey so that we can understand some of the main lines of development and about the essences of the subject matter, we must order the works and edit them according to some principle.

What are the "fine" arts? What is a work of art? Where does art stop and non-art begin? We must understand some of these basic issues if we want to really understand the essence of the subject matter of this course. These are far-reaching, difficult questions that are often avoided because of the conventions of teaching. The teacher must follow a different methodology than that of the historian. A teacher is in a restricted situation.

Why is this course in the art department? Why is it not in the humanities department? Because it is not; does this mean that At is not a course in the humanities? In Meaning in the Visual Arts, Panofsky writes an essay entitled "Art as a Humanistic Discipline." The history of art is definitely part of the humanities. It is not really possible to separate and divorce the subjects from each other in the discipline without losing sense. Compartmentalization is hazardous.

The conventional way-to break  the history of art to fit into a course structure is chronology. Again, this particular course will not be taught as a chronological survey. Concepts and abstractions are things with which we should deal. There is a difference between the ideas of history and a history. This distinction can be carried and applied to other fields- mathematics, engineering, etc. Even an eighth grader can understand concepts and abstractions. The problem is how to structure a course in the history of art that is concerned with these issues.

Issues

An ex-student of Art History 110 (now a school teacher), was allowed to present to her class something about the history of art, for it is one of the ways in which man has manifested his humanity. We have works of art as evidence which makes the study real and immediate, hence more meaningful. This girl wanted to teach the students something about color. In her presentation, the kids grew restless, wishing they could go, out and play games.

A.S. Neill in Summerhill: A Radical Approach to Childrearing, says that kids should play. Perhaps this is where their real education is, an education in learning how to be human beings. When this is denied, so too is a part of that child's proper development. They can go through life hating themselves, the world, their jobs, and their wives and kids. A documentation of this attitude is the United Airlines commercial. In it a man is trying to persuade his wife into taking a trip to Hawaii with him. His technique is to tell her that he will be taking her away from the drudgery of housework and the children. Only with this prospect does she agree to go. She actually hates what she is doing, a way of life that does not necessarily have to be hated. Once they get away from the housework and the children, they become young again, and they love life again; as if their own children were not life. Children are perhaps the most immediate symbol and expression of life and what it means. What happens to these people when they return to their children after their vacation in Hawaii?

Some of the real truths of our time are manifested by things such as television commercials. In fact, some of the best creative talents are those who work in advertising. Actually, there are only about 500 artists in America who make a living by their art alone. Most artists teach or are employed in some other job. There are a lot more than 500 advertising men. How much is the mean salary for one of these 500 artists? A petty executive makes more than that mean salary.

A specific painting can be purchased for a nominal amount, the purchaser receiving a major work of art by a major artist. This painting will also appreciate in value more so than any stock or bond. Also, the painting itself, in terms of a commodity, is worth far more than the piece of paper one receives after purchasing stock. If the price or value of the painting goes up or down, you still have the work of art that can be appreciated for itself. The painting in mind would cost less than any model of 1967 cars. Let us now take the automobile as subject matter for the history of art, considering it as sculpture. We have been talking in this lecture about art and non-art an issues that deserves serious consideration. Automobiles just might be some of the most important art made today. Does it make any difference that they are designed by a firm and not an individual? Does this change its value as art? Art meant something much different in the 19th century than it means today, and we should abandon our romantic and sentimental ideas about art. In fact, it is that difference and why it changed that is the explicit subject matter of the course.

Concentrating on an important issue such as this may not seem valid to those that envisioned education as means to a trade. There are forces in our society that go against the student's education. There are forces against civilization discussed in an essay "Civilization" by Clive Bell and published by Pelican paperbacks. It may be out of print.

The young teacher was told that a more effective way in which to teach these children about color would be to relate it to that color found in their shoes, their clothing, their eyes, or anything that was real to them; thus, the subject would have a basis in something that everyone knew. The students could comprehend the nature of the subject if it was related to reality.

Note

The structure in these notes reflects the actual structure of the lecture. It is interesting to see how the various thoughts flow from one subject to another; yet all of them are tied in with the main issues presented. They are all important illustrations of the problems encountered in a "radical"approach to education as well as to those that the student finds as he prepares to take an active role in the world. The ease with which the various subjects can be related shows the explicit relationship between the nature of art and that of life.

Kurt von Meier, 1967
(Transcribed UCLA Art 1C lecture class notes by Jean Garren)