The aim of this research thesis is to analyze the varying roles of the identities that artists have, in the aesthetic aspects. This is referred to as the researches and reviews on the relations between contemporary aesthetic art and artists' performan...
The aim of this research thesis is to analyze the varying roles of the identities that artists have, in the aesthetic aspects. This is referred to as the researches and reviews on the relations between contemporary aesthetic art and artists' performance, with the focus on artists in especially, practical 'field'. The contemporary artists play an intervening role in epistemology of art by impelling aesthetics to reexamine all academic fields that have traditionally been researched, and requesting the identities of artists to be reestablished. Despite the changing and growing aesthetics in various question forms, the research on the identities of artists is lacking.
As the disputes surrounding aesthetic categorization begin to be waged in contemporary art, the identities of artists are categorized in the aesthetic dimension. The reexamination on aesthetic categorization results from the changing traditional artists' roles in contemporary art contexts, and following such change, from the appearance of epistemological demise in art theories. With the controversies over time and space of contemporary artists emerging, the research on the correlations with artists and aesthetical theory is needed.
The eschatology of art gives an important insight into the research on the identities of artists. Because, the eschatology of art appearing in the 1980s not only analyzes the changing identities of modern artists, through cases and examples, but also it casts questions on the essence of philosophical art and defies the existing artistic concepts. But, the disputes over the identities of artists have yet to be illuminated in eschatology of art. Thus, this research thesis is going to analyze the identities of art built on aesthetic categorization, in contemplation of cases of contemporary artists.
Since Peter Bürger defined historical 'Avant Garde', contemporary artists have intervened in art history and the essence of philosophical art, rather than art production. In this vein, some daily objects have been used only for art pieces, with the introduction of some causes and motives in art history as some part of contemporary art works. At this point, the modernism characteristic with 'individual' performance is substituted for 'collective' art performance. The boundary between artists and non-artists starts to be less clearly drawn through the concepts of artistic and participatory creativity. On top of these, the artistic dimension is extended to a macro- scope of society and life, not to a micro- scope of art. And furthermore, social reform goes even so far as to be perceived as an artistic form. Also, the identities of artists are not merely disputed in light of art producers, but in light of multi-roles, such as educators, environmental/ cultural and social activists. The appreciation of art pieces as absolute value in eternal temporal dimension is changed into the appreciation as relative and discontinuous value, today. Hence, it needs to make the aesthetic exploration of artists, who are trying to change their own identities.
The Chapter 2 makes the approaches to the identities of artists based on eschatology of art that Hans Belting and Arthur C. Danto stated. In eschatology of art, Belting made the analysis on the <Performance, 1974> and books of Hervé Fisher and problems surrounding the misplaced art history, as part of a bid to abandon the conventional art research methodology. Belting took up the problem of liberal art history, in light of performance art that Fisher made, while Danto posed the problems of the presence of art pieces, through <Brillo Boxes>, the work by Andy Warhol. And, Belting noted that in art history, the focus of art pieces was on interpreting them, while Danto noted the Warhol's art work, <Brillo Boxes>, which approached philosophical art. But, the eschatology that the both Belting and Danto established is founded on results of art performance appearing after the 1960s. This research thesis is to analyze the aesthetic subjects and themes stated by the above two, and conceptualize the identities of artists. As Belting went through how art was categorized as an academic discipline, Danto studied how art pieces can be viewed as philosophical dimension, from the historical perspectives. Nonetheless, they didn't mention by how dimension and context eschatology of art will be presented, and furthermore, the problem of such dimension and context will be associated with the identities of artists.
Thus, the Chapter 3 explores the identities of artists especially in practical field, and seeks the philosophical and historical contexts that art producers are appearing as the contemporary aesthetics-generating subjects. Contemporary artists ranging from Marcel Duchamp to Squartist have raised questions of the presence of art pieces, and reestablished their own identities, through the redefinition of artists' social roles, in a broader sense. The fierce disputes over <Fountain> that Duchamp titled in his art exhibition were waged. But, this research thesis is going to put the focal point on the identities of artists. As mentioned by Belting and Danto, the aesthetic question that Duchamp raised is built on the aspiration on something 'new', as the key agendum of progressive rationale, let alone it is built on the extensive aesthetic pursuit. Therefore, this thesis is to study the performance by Duchamp on the basis of the identities of artists.
Changing artists from 'producing' artists to the 'called' artists, Duchamp presented the title of the identities of artists in social pieces and dimension of Joseph Beuys, which has, so far, been maintained. Beuys entitled the status of artists to everyone. And, he extended creativity exclusively given to artists, in a more broad sense.
Internationale Situationiste(IS) replaced 'individuality'- pursuing artists with 'collectiveness'-pursuing artists. And, he offered artists a new role as social 'revolutionists'. Squartist transformed creativity-based artists' images into political dispositions-pursuing and the present life-restructuring ones. Ready-made"-focused Duchamp is seen as the reawareness of the established space for Squartist. The concept of social pieces presented by Beuys appears in temporal space and performances that Squartist pursued. The revolutionary spirit of IS brings up the contradictory power structure, and at the same time, it is achieved in the recreated life ways. Thus, it is concluded that according to Squartist, artists have their identities not as art piece producers' but social problem analyzers and contemporary life remakers. Such as this, contemporary artists establish their own identities, under the awareness that they need to become roles to change society and life ways.
In this respect, this research thesis made the research on the changing role of artists, through the process categorizing the identities of artists as aesthetic dimension. The contemporary art must be explored, going back from the past to the present art history, and posing artists' piece production, their social activities and their life ways as the aesthetic task. The presence of artists and art creativity can be found not in art pieces themselves but in epistemological dimension. The concept of art becomes the essential hub of aesthetic beauty.