The document discusses the functions of art as defined by Aristotle, categorizing them into personal, social, and physical functions, while also noting that not all art must serve a distinct function. It presents philosophical perspectives from Plato, who viewed art as mere imitation, and Aristotle, who saw it as an aid to philosophy and a means to convey truth. Additionally, it includes insights from Kant and Tolstoy about the subjective nature of beauty and the emotional communication inherent in art.

1. 03 Functions and Philosophical
Perspectives of Art

2. ARISTOTLE
Telos, according to Aristotle, is
intricately linked with function. For
a thing to reach its purpose, it also
has to fulfill its function.
Greek philosopher Aristotle claimed
that every particular substance in the
world has an end, or telos in Greek,
which translates to “purpose.”

3. Functions of Art
When it comes to functions, different art come
with distinctive functions. There is no
one-to-one correspondence between an art and
its function
The functions of art are classified into three:
● Personal (public display of affection)
● Social (celebration or to affect collective
behavior)
● Physical (utilitarian)

4. PERSONAL FUNCTIONS OF ART
Personal functions of art are varied and
highly subjective. Its functions depend on
the person—the artist who created the art.
An artist may create an art out of the need
for self expression.

5. SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF ART
Art is considered to have social function if and
when it addresses a particular collective
interest as opposed to a personal interest.
Political art is very common example of an art
with a social function.
Art may convey message of protest,
contestation or whatever the artist intends his
work to carry.

6. PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS OF ART
The easiest to spot and understand. The
physical functions of art can be found in
artworks that are crafted in order to
serve some physical purpose.

7. OTHER FUNCTIONS OF ART
Music is also used as a
wonderful accompaniment to
stage plays and motion pictures.
Music in its original form was
principally functional. Music was
used for dance and religion.
Music also was essential to dance
because music assures synchronicity
among dancers.

8. Sculpture
Is another functional art form that has long existed for
various purpose. Sculptures have been made by man
particularly for religion. People erect status for the divine.
Sculptures were also made in order to commemorate
important figures in history.

9. ARCHITECTURE
Another art form that readily lends itself to multiple
functions is architecture. Architecture might be the most
prominent functional art form.
Whenever art serves a particular function, the form has to
be determined by function.

10. DOES ART ALWAYS HAVE TO BE
FUNCTIONAL?
While it has been shown that most arts are functional, still there are
some which are not. The value of art does not depend on function
but on work itself. The plays of Aeschylus and the poetry of Robert
Frost and Edgar Allan Poe are still counted as examples of great
works of art despite their not having a known function.

11. PHILOSOPHICAL
PERSPECTIVES ON ART
Plato (2000) in his masterpiece, The
Republic, particularly paints a picture of
artists as imitators and art as mere
imitation. In Plato’s metaphysics or view of
reality, the things in this world are only
copies of the original, the eternal, and the
true entities that can only be found in the
World of Forms.
ART AS AN IMITATION

12. PHILOSOPHICAL
PERSPECTIVES ON ART
Plato was deeply suspicious of arts and
artists for two reasons:
● They appeal to the emotion rather than
to be the rational faculty of men
● They imitate rather than lead one to
reality
ART AS AN IMITATION

13. Socrates is worried that art objects
represent only the things in this
world, copies themselves of reality.
Socrates claimed that art is just an
imitation of imitations
SOCRATES

14. ART AS REPRESENTATION
Aristotle, Plato’s most important student in philosophy, agreed
with his teacher that art is a form of imitation. However in contrast
to the disgust that his master hold for art. Aristotle considered art
as an aid to philosophy in revealing truth. The kind of imitation
that art does is not antithetical to the reaching fundamental truths
in the world.
Unlike Plato who thought that art is an imitation of another
imitation, Aristotle conceived of art as representing possible
versions of reality.

15. ART AS REPRESENTATION
In the Aristotelian worldview, art serves
two particular reasons:
● First, art allows for the experience of
pleasure.
● Secondly, art also has an ability to be
instructive and teach its audience
things about life.

16. ART AS A
DISINTERESTED
JUDGMENT
Immanuel Kant wrote the “Critique of
Judgment,” Kant considered the
judgment of beauty, the cornerstone
of art as something that can be
universal despite its subjectivity. Kant
mentioned that judgment of beauty and
therefore, art is innately autonomous
form specific interests.

17. KANT RECOGNIZED
THAT JUDGMENT OF
BEAUTY IS SUBJECTIVE
For Kant, when one judges a
particular painting as beautiful, one
in effect is saying that the painting
has induced a particular feeling of
satisfaction from him that he
expects the painting to rouse the
same feeling for anyone.

18. ART AS A
COMMUNICATION
OF EMOTION
In Leo Tolstoy’s book, What is Art
(2016), art plays a huge role in
communication to its audience’s
emotions that the artist previously
experienced. Art then serves as a
language, a communication device that
articulates feelings and emotions that
are otherwise unavailable to the
audience.