{"id":1799,"date":"2012-06-30T10:05:06","date_gmt":"2012-06-30T14:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/?page_id=1799"},"modified":"2012-08-23T09:14:50","modified_gmt":"2012-08-23T13:14:50","slug":"reflective-art-visceral-art","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/reflective-art-visceral-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflective Art-Visceral Art"},"content":{"rendered":"
Reflective Art and Visceral Art
\n<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/div>\n
In discussing the nature of works of art, it is helpful to have a vocabulary for categorizing different kinds of (and approaches to) artistic expression.\u00a0 A conceptual polarity which does not rely on conventional approaches clarifies the intent of works of art without resort to pejorative (or approbatory) terminology.<\/div>\n
There are two poles between which any specific form of artistic expression can be placed–reflective and visceral.\u00a0 The principal characteristic distinguishing them is the aesthetic focus of the work.\u00a0 This concept refers to the relative emphasis the work places upon depth of content or immediacy of impact.\u00a0 Works emphasizing depth of content challenge the mind and spirit and offer rich rewards for repeat exposure to them.\u00a0 Works emphasizing immediacy of impact are designed to have a profound and immediate effect upon the perceiver.\u00a0 These foci are not mutually exclusive.\u00a0 Indeed, great works of art attend to both of them.<\/div>\n

\nArtistic Intent <\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nReflective Art<\/em><\/td>\nVisceral Art<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Aesthetic Focus:<\/strong><\/td>\nDepth of Content<\/td>\nImmediacy of Impact<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Motivation:<\/strong><\/td>\nEducate\/Edify<\/td>\nEntertain<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Perceiver Involvement:<\/strong><\/td>\nRequires Effort<\/td>\nEasy\/Accessible<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Language\/Tradition:<\/strong><\/td>\n[Imported]<\/td>\nVernacular\/Indigenous<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Beyond this, reflective works generally have as a motivation an attempt to educate or edify, require some effort to be appreciated, and, in many cases, derive from an “imported tradition.”\u00a0 Works which are primarily visceral in character emphasize\u00a0 immediacy of impact, attempt to entertain, are characterized by ease and accessibility, and, often, derive from an indigenous cultural tradition.\u00a0 These categories are not hard and fast, and, like aesthetic focus, they are not mutually exclusive.\u00a0 However, understanding this makes it clearer why what is known as “popular” (or visceral) art can survive what economists call the market test and why reflective art should not be expected to do so.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reflective Art and Visceral Art In discussing the nature of works of art, it is helpful to have a vocabulary for categorizing different kinds of (and approaches to) artistic expression.\u00a0 A conceptual polarity which does not rely on conventional approaches clarifies the intent of works of art without resort to pejorative (or approbatory) terminology. There […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-1799","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P1G6h9-t1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":172,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/resources\/","url_meta":{"origin":1799,"position":0},"title":"Resources","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"August 2, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Over time, I'll list resources that may serve as handy references for blog posts or as sources for further information. The links below will become active when I've gotten pages ready for them. Building Communities, Not Audiences Reflective Arts\/Visceral Arts: Explanation Understanding Your Community (Questions to evaluate\u2013and improve\u2013your community IQ)\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4083,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/engage-now\/","url_meta":{"origin":1799,"position":1},"title":"Engage Now! A Guide to Making the Arts Indispensable","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"May 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Available Formats: Paperback-Order Here Ebook-Kindle For information on bulk purchases (\u2265 10), click here. For some, the arts as indispensable is a preposterous idea, yet nearly every stakeholder in the industry believes the arts\u2019 value to be unquestionable. That gap accounts for most of the challenges arts organizations face. 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We hope to create a space for practitioners and administrators to share ideas and learn from each other. To learn\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5140,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/resources\/community-engagement-what-you-need-to-know\/","url_meta":{"origin":1799,"position":4},"title":"Community Engagement: What You Need to Know","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"December 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Here is a summary of community engagement essentials as put together by ArtsEngaged. It is available as a pdf to download here:\u00a0What You Need to Know Community Engagement: What You Need to Know Nonprofit arts organizations are facing an existential crisis stemming from skyrocketing expenses, rapidly changing demographics, and vastly\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Essentials-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":52,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/backstory-ground-rules\/","url_meta":{"origin":1799,"position":5},"title":"Backstory-Ground Rules","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"July 14, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I am brand new to blogging. (Actually, I only began reading blogs a few months ago. 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