미학의 변모: '예술문화론'의 정립을 위한 시도

Abstract

Recently, we can find frequently the word art culture in ordinary usage, instead of art. There are some reasons for the usage. First of all, the reason is connected with the circumstances of contemporary arts. Avant-garde art is very difficult to understand and not interesting for the general public, on account of its seriousness and narrowness. In other words, the concept of art today has become a jargon which is available only among artists, critics and enthusiastic fans. Therefore, one would like to escape from using the word art. Here, a new compound word art culture has emerged in order to include the fine arts, experimental arts and popular arts. This word is very convenient to comprise something new on which we throw doubt about its genuineness of art. However, the non-prescribed using the word cause to make the concept in vain. Therefore, this paper aims to define clearly the concept and the sphere of art culture. It is significant for considering the future of aesthetics. To carry out this research, we need to inquire into the birth and the transition of the concept of art. And then we would like to suggest the theory of art culture as aesthetics in new age. Many of artists and art theorists have indulged in the ideology of romanticism which highly appreciate art as solemn and serious. Even the supporters of avant-garde movement were not exception. For all that, the elites themselves are deploring the death of art or the blind alley of art. This is the present situation of post-modern. But it is the art captured by the ideology of romanticism such as art for arts sake that which confronted with the end. If we look at the popular arts in enlarged view, we cannot find any symptom of decline. Rather they are proud of prosperity. Etienne Souriau has presented early a diagram of art system in round shape. We should modify his diagram, namely to describe a larger circle, to include popular art, ethnic art or folk art, and our traditional art. We could call them quasi-arts. It is natural that the concept of art should expand to the larger circle, comparing our informational society with the 18th century. So we would like to call the whole circle including Souriaus ones as art culture. By the way, the outer circle of art culture is duplicated with other culture spheres, because of not insisting exclusively the art for arts sake. Art culture is overlapping with the life culture such as food, clothing and shelter and leisure culture such as sport, play and travel. Thus a lot of pleasing art culture including fashion, gardening, gastronomy, circus, magic show, and sightseeing tour could be situated rightly. The modern concept of art has been enlarged and fluctuated during the 20th century. On account of not accepting the new arts, it was requested the extension of the concept and the sphere. The emergence of the concept art culture is the demand of contemporary society. Additionally, we need to consider if the name and the content of aesthetics born in the 18th century is still relevant to our time. Reflecting the history of aesthetics, we came to know there was transition in its substantial content. In the 20th century, the general science of art(allgemeine Kunstwissenschaft) was proposed in Germany instead of traditional aesthetics which has neglected the factual phenomenon of arts. It aims to carry out the various phases of art inclusively, namely the nature of art, the origin of art, creation and reception, and the function of art. In the future, we need to construct the theory of art culture beyond the general science of art, in order to manage rightly the human abundant art culture intersecting with the life culture and leisure culture.