Example Of Meaning Of The Arts - Prompt One – Long Essay Essay

The Universal Language How Art Breaks Down Cultural Barriers

The Issue
Philosophical ideas frame the way humans look at objects in the world and consider them art. Different time periods, different lands, and the way people live also has much to do with the concepts of the meaning of art including historical perspectives. Therefore, with the shrinking global community, no more so than in the 21st century does the reality of crossing cultures influence the perception of peoples’ view of the meaning of art. Studying existing Western assumptions and perceptions of art and craft historically and contemporarily continues changing. In doing so this shows how other cultural ideas about art challenges humans’ understanding of art as representative of a community even among the community members and artists themselves. Freeland discusses how historically, the travels of people influenced the Western ideas about gardening through different eras, as did travellers with new religions taking hold and influencing Eastern gardening ideology (61). The following academic exploration considers the ways perceptions how art breaks down cultural barriers as a universal language as well as how it expresses communities and how communities express themselves through art.
The philosophical resonation whether indeed, art breaks down cultural barriers as a universal language and honestly represents communities takes the Freeland reading in Chapter 3 - then looks at how external barriers of religion, history, and geographic boundaries dissolve when experiencing another culture’s different art forms. Doing so ideally puts a person into a commonality of humanity so the interaction becomes personalized and again, ideally rejects prejudices so the efficacy of the individual participating sustains the required open-minded attitude required for having an effective genuine experience (Freeland 63).
The aesthetic of the experience of art is the common universal language as Freeland explains through the philosophical work of Dewey (1934 as qtd in Freeland 64). Still, this universal language is an acquired skill aesthetically again, according to Dewey (1934 as qtd in Freeland 64). Freeland goes beyond this explaining the language of art is knowing “’external’ facts before trying to acquire the ‘internal’ attitude of appreciation of another community’s art” (64). Another way of considering this language of art according to Hagberg means, "We, quite simply, do not yet have an experience in language to which the experience of meaning in art can be compared" (70) and clearly supports the two converging ideas that both Dewey and Freeland explain about a universal language of art as connected to experiencing each other communities.
The important message Freeland lends to the idea of this exploration of the ways art breaks down cultural barriers through its standing as a universal language links to her view, “Despite gaps between cultures, intercultural contact is age-old” (70). Consequently, the process of cross cultural experiences of other types of communities is not an alien activity.
Influence of different cultures on other community art goes back to the ancient Egyptians’ sphinxes changing Greek art, as did other ancient cultures Greeks came in contact according to Freeland (70). The influence of Zen Buddhism taking religious hold over centuries in Japan affected the Japanese cultural aesthetic. Cultural and ethnic pluralism as described by Freeland explains how multiculturalism while so prevalent globally in the 21st century nonetheless has long historical roots with the Islamic civilization whose leaders imported Chinese fine art ceramics in the 9th century (Freeland 70). This gives testament to the impact of trade bringing different cultural experiences and influences artistically to different ancient cultures appreciating each other for the different arts and crafts as distinct to one the other culture.
Culture, social mores, and personal tastes frame the human concept of the aesthetic of art as witnessed by the way in particular Westerners create and present art exhibits featuring renowned artist such as Picasso putting his work as an example of what primitive art influence results and even ignorantly and chauvinistically fail relaying it is the primitive art that remains original and that Picasso while understandably appreciated nonetheless is the secondary application of the skill (Freeland 77). This does not take away from the framework of the point of this discussion of how art does bridge cultures but challenges Westerners in particular keeping an honest perspective as exemplified in this Picasso example.
One of the most interesting concepts Freeland discusses is the diasporic conditions of cultures displaced from their original homelands and the impact it has on their sense of community and in turn on artistic expression (84). While Freeland points out as an example the long millennial history of separation from their own land of the Jewish experience starting in the 6th century B.C.E. with the destruction of Solomon’s Temple – the center of Jewish culture and the 300 years of slavery in Egypt. Nonetheless the same applies to the changing millions of Africans torn from their homeland and most literally the intentional genocide of their existence in the United States in particular culturally, spiritually, and physically and regaining a sense of their roots continues in 21st century African American communities today as artistic expression often recapturing the lost culture directly from African mores about art (Redmond 223).
Freedman explains, “As people are forced (or choose) to move around the globe, their descendants emerge with a new, hybridized identity. Many immigrants preserve their cultural traditions for multiple generations, with art playing a key cultural crossings” (84).
Again referencing the work of Freeland, she describes how the politics of identity formed in the 1980s through raising again, in particular African American consciousness resulting in numerous hybrid and hyphenated identities of young people using art for exploring issues they know about cultural assimilation and racism. Edgy art emerged from different Americans from different racial backgrounds making different American racial groups look at the works exploiting racial stereotypes among non-white Americans. Clearly, the arguably talented Spike Lee genius took on both American ethnic and racial tensions in his “postcolonial politics and diasporic” (Freeman 85) subjects in his ground breaking film “Do the Right Thing” as an artistic expression of his community reality.
Freeman pulls numerous examples of complicated relationships bound by race, culture, and national identity as crossing communities through these interaction of people and provides a clearer understanding there is no one distinction that frames the issue of this exploration how art breaks down cultural barriers as a universal language as well as how it expresses communities and how communities express themselves through art. Films in particular seem an artistic medium best exemplifying as already pointed out the complexities of interracial, cultural, and ethnic hybrids of people emerging with hyphenated identities within two different community sources. In doing so, this hybrid community looks to artistic expression in music, painting, cinema, theatre, crafts, and other art forms proclaiming their sense of social positioning in the greater community.
Philosophically, the open minded person embraces the differences of communities and finds a common ground that binds us as humans. As Freeman points out the theoretical framework of Dewey’s fidelity to art as this common thread connecting humanities community differences whether racial, ethnically, religiously, culturally, or even lifestyle preferences as a universal language breaking down this defined and sometimes not so defined borders she sees its significance as an especially critical view today. “While recognizing that communities are internally diverse and evolving, we can still say that John Dewey’s idea makes sense, that art ‘expresses the life of a community’” (87) and therefore holds measurable significance for breaking down the varieties of barriers aligned to those communities from those living outside them.
While Freeland employs ideas of other philosophical thinkers of the significance of art as bridging different human communities she does go back to Dewey each time while keeping a pragmatic approach to how much of the logic of Dewey remains realistic. She points out, “Even though art can express a culture’s values, no culture is homogenous or has gone untouched by the world” (88 and further, “The purest –seeming instances of cultural values are often products of complex strands of (human) interaction” (88).
In conclusion, the assessment this exploration and discussion that art matters as legitimately breaking down community barriers bringing better understanding of these communities between one another does stand valid as the examples above show. At the same time, this process remains an ongoing activity founded in deep historical roots influencing different global communities one on the other artistically. No matter the reason, the forced movement of communities even today, continues moulding artistic expression. At the least, the language of art continues without a clear definition breaking down community barriers.

Works Cited

Freeland, Cynthia. But is it Art? - An Introduction to Art Theory. Oxford University Press, Inc. New York. © Cynthia Freeland 2001
Hagberg, G. L. Art as Language: Wittgenstein, Meaning, and Aesthetic Theory. Ithaca, NY: Cornell UP, 1995.
Redmond, Shana L. Anthem: Social Movements and the Sound of Solidarity in the African Diaspora. New York: New York UP, 2014.