Page 41 - Studio International - January 1973

Aspects of art education 3

'See 'Semantics for Propositional Attitudes' from `structure' allows. experience on the first year of our DipAD
op cit. Rather than reverting to the standard practice course, a compulsory course in biological
'For an interpretation of 'metaphysical paradigm'
see Margaret Masterman's paper 'The Nature of a of identifying the core values of the system genetics. Obviously in this case, and many
Paradigm' from Criticism and the Growth of within an historical context and attempting to more, the view that 'non-studio activities'
Knowledge (ed.) Lakatos & Musgrave. Popper's rearrange these in the light of a polemical stance should 'complement' the study of art has now
terms such as 'normal' and 'crisis-ridden' may be
ideological, yet ideology in the philosophy of science on the nature of art education we propose to gained general currency. To limit oneself
can be given a strong and respectable dressing with view the situation in a slightly different and we here to a discussion of the nature of
our conditions of sets. This respectability of ideology believe more pertinent way, viz. that certain `complementary' in this context would be
enables us to treat such criticisms as 'an ordinary values held at present within the system are
scientist is badly trained' (Popper) as if we were to miss the whole core of the art educational
dealing with a particular epistemic context. untenable and that it is these values that have to argument. To gain a fuller picture of it we
4Ryle, The Concept of Mind (Hutchinson) 1949. be rearranged to reconcile educational practice to must begin to examine the functioning of the
See also C. V. Borvst (ed.) The Mind' Brain even the most basic workable theory of Fine-Art
Identity Theory, 1970. post-romantic expressionistic syndrome and its
'This refers to Harrison's examples in his 'Educating education. extensions that contradict and render untenable
Artists', Studio International, May 1972. Within the studio the paramount importance the basic ethos, even within its own terms.
'Important contributions to the branch of Modal
Logic that's called Epistemic Logic are : Hintikka, of the emotions in the 'creation' of art works is What is of concern is that expressionistic
op cit., and Knowledge and Belief (Cornell) 1962; directly related to the emphasis laid on the theorists (e.g. Tolstoy, Collingwood) have all
Risto Hilpinen, Knowing that one knows and the `self'1; that is to say implicit in this ideology is maintained that the salient features of a work
Classical Definition of Knowledge, Synthese (1970).
"I shall argue that the intellectualist legend is false the notion of art arising from the artist turning of art, its defining characteristic, is that it is
and that when we describe a performance as into himself (away from social reality) and into expressive of mental or emotional states; further,
intelligent this does not entail the double operation himself in a particular manner; the focus of art is that the work offers up to the 'initiate' an
of considering and executing.' Ryle p. 31.
"The point being that Hobbes's model was overtly the emotional self. It is not surprising that such account of these expressive qualities. The fact
sociopolitical and not psychological. (See 'Aspects a thesis carries in its train a paradigm of the that this implicit value system has developed
of Authorities', K. Lole, P. Pilkington and artist which is anti-rational, anti-ideational, if alongside and/or within an increasingly
D. Rushton, Art Language, Vol 2 No 1). not anti-intellectual. The belief (act of faith)
°A. N. Prior Objects of Thought (Oxford), 1971. specialized, fragmented and esoteric attitude
'°D. Rushton, 'On Asserting', Analytical Art, No 1. that the exposure to techniques (the physicality towards Fine Art only confirms the centrality of
"What follows here is derived from Leo Apostel of the media) will result in the production of art, the individualistic, and privatist emphasis, on
`Assertion Logic and Theory of Argumentation', especially if the charismatic tutors' restrictive
Philosophy and Rhetoric (1971). Assertion logic is occasion under the misinterpreted and limited
attributed to N. Rescher, Topics in Philosophical code' imports and/or supports values interpretation of professionalism.
Logic (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1968). Argumentation questionably available within the product, is It has been maintained3 that this belief is an
theory is attributed to Ch. Perelman Traité de based on the belief that the mysteries of art will
l'argumentation (Paris, Presses Universitaires de untenable conception of the nature of art, as it
France, 1958). be implanted in the individual by some form of lacks reference to the importance, for want of a
"Index at Hayward Gallery, London, August 1972, osmosis, especially when the apparent success of better word, of the medium, the fact that art is
and Index at Documenta 5, Kassel, West Germany, this process is actively supported by the
July—October, 1972, Art Language, etc. expressed in/through (in the widest sense) some
institution. medium or other. A work that is offered to us as
The DipAD has nurtured these ideologies. a piece of art is not made simply by the process
The Coldstream Committee recognized the of coming to awareness, but is something
difference between education and training, worked by the artist within conventional
but they still thought that the artist should be (literally convention governed) ways of doing
trained. and acting. What is forgotten by all expressionist
This accounts for the excessively vocational theorists is that art is a Lebensform and like other
nature of the Fine-Art course at present. As a forms of life has conventions, rules, and ways of
tool to gain degree equivalence they saw fit to going about things which separate it from other
tack education onto the new training kit as a forms of life that human beings engage in. To
Towards an peripheral activity, although, as Dick Field make art in any of its manifestations is not
points out, they did seem also to have some simply a case of having certain kinds of
education in art genuine concern for 'broadening' the course.2 experiences, it is to engage in a practice, or
The word can mean many things, and it was practices, which have a certain framework of
interpreted in the light of English 'liberal concepts, modes of representation, systems of
education' resulting in the introduction of what relevance, sets of procedures etc. tied to them.
It is surely the responsibility of educators is known as Complementary Studies. The To engage in making art is to take these on as
(tutors) in Fine-Art departments to know clearly Committee's statement about these, intended to structures for one's activity, and it is only within
and articulate why it is that they determine the be open, has proved itself disastrously vague, such structures that one's activity constitutes
structure of opportunities in particular ways, and `Any non-studio activities, in addition to the making art. Art educationalists must take the
to have a system of evaluation that is available to History of Art, which may strengthen or give stance that the primary aim of art education is
meaningful criticism. This article presents a breadth to a student's training . . . . genuinely not the production of artists (although this is a
critique of the present system of Fine-Art complementary to the main object: the study of necessary element of any workable model) but
education, in which we propose to itemize some art'. Although this statement carries the that it is an education, viz. that the student
of the inherent contradictions within the present implication that the studies 'relate' to the study acquires a knowledge of the body of tradition,
system, with a view to proposing certain of art, this was not made explicit, although the its concerns and the extension of the concept of
properties that a structure should contain to be word complementary implies it: lacking more art, that is, he has at least to learn the rules of
theoretically/practicably tenable, coherent and precise guidance, colleges have picked up the the activity before he can begin to make any
explicit, while encompassing a more words 'non-studio activities' and have contribution to the body of knowledge that
comprehensive range of values than the present interpreted them to include, as in our particular constitutes that particular activity.
31