Philosophy Café : What Exactly Is Art? And What Makes "Good" Art?

Hi, this is Vanessa, your ENLIGHTENMENT salon host.

When you look at this Jackson Pollock painting, do you think it’s a masterpiece worth the $15 million sale price it got at auction last year, or do you think, “Any first-grader could do that”?

And if you think of the painter Thomas Kinkade, do you agree with the majority of art critics that his work is “twee” and “schlocky,” or are you one of the millions of Americans who love his work and made him a multimillionaire?

So, what makes one artwork a masterpiece and another that makes critics hold their noses?

That is what July’s Philosophy Café is about. We’ll be taking about aesthetics, the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste. Aesthetics examines our values about — and critical judgements of — artistic taste and preference. It also studies how artists imagine, create and perform works of art, and how people use, enjoy and criticize art. So while one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, how do individual preferences and cultural contexts rank a precious few artists and their works above the many others that are scorned, ignored or forgotten?

Join me for a talk with an artist and a philosophy professor about what exactly is art and what factors are used to perceive and value it. We’ll talk about why people consider certain things beautiful and not others, as well as how art and objects of beauty can affect our moods and our beliefs.

Bring your questions -- nothing is too small or too dumb to ask.

OUR GUESTS* , art professor at Sacramento City College and studio artist at Verge Center for the Arts* , professor of philosophy at Sacramento City College

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* Ruhstaller BSMT has a variety of beers on tap, as well as wine, kombucha, mocktails, soda and sparkling water, They don’t serve meals, however, so please feel free to BYO food.

Transportation Options include:* Hourly street parking meters along L Street* Covered/outdoor parking garages on L Street/Kayak Alley between 7th and 8th Street ($12)* City garages: Capitol Garage at 1129 10th St. and City Hall Garage at 917 10th St. ($7)* Light rail transit: Ruhstaller is close to stops on the Blue, Green and Gold lines

For more information about ENLIGHTENMENT and about California Groundbreakers, go to californiagroundbreakers.org

Photo: Henri Matisse in his studio in Nice, France, 1949 by Robert Capa /Magnum Photos

Also check out other Arts events in Sacramento, Fine Arts events in Sacramento, Trips & Adventurous Activities in Sacramento.