Ricalyn Nebrida GEARTAP Y55 September 15, 2021

Why Beauty Matters by Roger Scruton

1. Based on the documentary, how has the “Classical” and “Modern” take on art been
presented? Give at least five important points as to what the Classical view on art is and
the Modern view on art is. Explain each point in not less than five sentences.

The documentary ‘Why Beauty Matters?’ by Roger Scruton is eye-opening

especially on the thoughts of ideals and breaking the ideals with the Classical and
Modern views. On one hand, art in the classical view was represented to be a perfect or
ideal version of the world or of reality. Scruton names this view as the ‘cult of beauty.’
On the other hand, modern view on art is shown to be imperfect, and sometimes mind
boggling which he calls as the ‘cult of ugliness’ and ‘cult of utility.’ They are both very
different, but also somehow similar in expressing what the artists wants to convey
through art. In fact, there are five main points wherein these two views are represented.

First, the focus and goal of art in the classical view is beauty. Massively different
on how the modern view disturbs the set beauty of the classical thinking. While one
wants to make the ideals a reality through art, the other wants to destroy the ideals and
deal with what is present. Classical people would argue that the modernists are not
actually disturbing the reality but are lacking creativity and art principles. This point is
one of the distinctions of the two views which I, myself questions the influences of my
view on art.

Second, the prior views beauty as a need and a redemption of the pain and ugly
truths of reality. Scruton explained how the pain and suffering we experience in this life
is connected to us through art, and through representing that in beautiful artworks. These
include musicals, songs, and films that evoke our emotions which is another form of
beauty that connects us to our soul. Contrary to this view, the modernists believe that
going out of the norm or the idealistic form of life is what we need for art to be valuable.
Just like earlier, it wants to deal with art that is already present in our daily lives such as a
simple toilet bowl.

Third point is that aesthetics in the classical view should be incorporated in our
everyday lives such as in architecture. Building infrastructures with beauty as a major
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component of it, as Scruton explained, results to the building to last long. While if we
focus on its functionality and utilitarian value only, it won’t last very long because it is
unpleasant to the eyes. No one would want to visit or be in those buildings anymore just
like the buildings in England that does not have any kind of aesthetic component. The
functionality of a building is a vital component, however, if that is the only focus then it
probably won’t be used by people after a long period of time like the Coastal Mall in the
Coastal Road here in the Philippines.

Fourth, classists are firm that art represents the ideal world. The world we want to
achieve or the world we escape in, in this cruel world. But for modernists, the
randomness of life could not be redeemed by art. They believe that art cannot replicate
the life that we have on this world, therefore, the art is the actual things we use everyday
and nothing more. The classical view begs to disagree because viewing the world as it is
does not promote anything spiritual to us humans. Using art to represent the ideal world
is not simply replicating but trying to view the world differently, with the personal
experiences that the artists want to convey.

Lastly, in the classical view not everyone can be an artist because art is an
exquisite process and principles are applied to it. It is important to understand the
backbone of life. It is like learning the anatomy of humans and other living creatures, to
be able to illustrate them in different art styles such as a cartoon. Unfortunately, the
modernists believe that anything can be art even if it did not go through a process of
creativity. For them, there is no more meaning to a thing than its literal meaning.

2. According to Scruton, why can’t everybody become an artist and why can’t every object
become art?

Not everybody can be an artist because not everyone has the knowledge of the
principles of art and how to apply it. As mentioned earlier, art has an exquisite process,
and it follows principles. Artists have to respect the knowledge that has been passed
down through generations. It is not simply passing down culture and tradition, but it is
passing down the information that we have discovered through time. Similar to
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discovering the world is a sphere, and the world revolves around the sun along with other
planets in different speeds. If not everybody can be artists, not everything or every object
can be art as well. An artist expresses their thoughts and feelings through art, and it
requires processes to be followed depending on the artist. If an object already existing is
taken and labeled as art just because someone wanted to, what is the value of artworks
that actual artists applied hard work on? Conceptualizing art is authentic to each artist and
it requires understanding, even on buildings, that is why we cannot every object as art just
because someone claimed it to be.

3. What has caused the denial of beauty? What does it say about the postmodern and
contemporary period?

The denial of beauty started from people viewing beauty as an elitist concept.
They said that those who strive beauty in art are out of touch in reality and are stuck to
their ideals. They became tired of striving for beauty because it takes more time to build
and create. They focused more on the utilitarian value of art. The postmodern and
contemporary period are focused on how things can be used. For example, they wanted to
view buildings not for how they look like or how aesthetic they are in the eyes, but for the
use or functionality of that building. Modern architecture is about utility and not aesthetic
to look at. While considering the functionality is a smart idea, ignoring the beauty of
buildings forgets the psychological and spiritual functionality of it to us humans. The
physical functionality is there, but everything else that makes us humans are left behind.

The denial on beauty has misdirected beauty in the postmodern and contemporary
period, because now we are tempted by appetite. We became a slave to the consumer
culture. As shown in the documentary, the advert or the click bait (when it comes to
online videos) is more important than art. What catches the eye becomes the priority
instead of what is the substance of it, or how the art is viewed by the audience.
Comparing the classical and modern view, it teaches us that if you don’t consider beauty,
eventually these things that are supposedly created for its functionality will be useless.
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The modern view on art which lacks creativity is a loveless culture that focuses on
randomness and disorder.

4. What was Scruton's take on Conceptual Art?

According to Scruton, conceptual art cannot be just the idea itself; it has to be
transformed in a way that the artist wants to execute or convey that idea. When a person
takes an object and deems it art, it is simply lacking creativity and laziness to transform
it. An actual artist may show an everyday activity such as an unmade bed by painting it,
or transforming it in a way that uses the principle of art and conveys the artist. If a person
simply display an unmade bed on a gallery like Tracey Emin, it just shows the ugliness of
reality and nothing more than the unmade bed itself. Scruton explains that post-modern
art and artists does not show reality as they claim, instead takes revenge on it.