Theory of Knowledge - Course Companion for Students Marija Uzunova Dang Arvin Singh Uzunov Dang

II. Perspectives
are found in the brushstrokes, ink blobs,
Clues
and any writing on the canvas.
shadows
authenticity is judged by small details.
Sometimes
imagine that an expert, or multiple experts,
But
that the ink on a drawing is pooling
conclude
a way that is unmistakably Leonardo. Is this
in
convincing, or would an art collector
sufficiently
to hear more to be convinced to spend $15
need
Who can disagree with expert aesthetic
million?
In art, questions of authenticity and
judgments?
are often the exclusive domain of experts
value
highly specialized knowledge. It raises the
with
of whether non-experts are confined to
question
legitimate claims about matters of taste,
making
experts may have considerable training
Art
experience, but even the best among
and
have been fooled by forgers. Partly, this
them
explained by their fallible human senses
is
the question: to what extent is
Consider
possible in the arts?
certainty
What argument, in relation to art, can you
1.
to answer this question?
construct
What evidence or examples can you offer in
2.
of your argument?
support
Try to incorporate the van Meegeren
3.
from the case study above into
example
evaluation, either as further support
your
as a counterexample. How does it fit into
or
this book we consider the
Throughout
decisions, structures and
judgments,
that influence access to knowledge.
communities
the arts, how is access to artistic knowledge
In
enabled or obstructed? By looking at
facilitated,
in art, what would you conclude about
access
the greatest art piece or performance
Consider
have experienced. How was it made
you
perception; and partly by the high stakes
of
of big money, which pit art experts
incentives
expert forgers. Forensic science has
against
used to resolve disputes among art experts
been
the authenticity of an artwork. Forensic
about
may suggest the work is more recent
evidence
is claimed, through carbon dating or the
than
in the pigments. Forensic science
compounds
thus assist art experts, especially in falsifying
can
to authenticity, as opposed to verifying
claims
as we discuss in Chapter 7. But forensic
them,
should not be considered foolproof.
methods
terms of discerning the particular technique,
In
or intent of an artist, scientific tools are not
style
a substitute for the trained, if fallible, and
yet
if subjective, aesthetic judgments
experienced,
art experts. In the art market, these
of
are the basis for decisions to spend
judgments
may be tempting to tailor your evidence or
It
your examples in such a way that more
present
supports your argument. Remember,
directly
that the world of knowledge is messy
however,
complex, with many nuances and caveats,
and
that prove the rule, examples that
exceptions
the pattern and things that are not what
break
seem. It will strengthen your essay if
they
can invite compelling examples into your
you
and especially if you can demonstrate
analysis,
awareness of their real-world
nuanced
complexity.
to you? Was access easy and open, or
accessible
to the few? And what does that reveal
afforded
your ability to access “great” art? Is there
about
about knowledge in art that is about
something
and status? Is there something in it that
power
about privilege? This is a commonly invoked
is
but points towards an important
stereotype,
about access to art, which has been
concern
in recent years by rising economic
affected
inequality.
10
and not matters of fact
millions of dollars every year.
Practising skills: Constructing arguments and analysing claims
your analysis?
II.2 Art and access
whom knowledge in art is for?
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