An Essay in Aesthetics by Roger Fry
English author Roger Fry, who was born in 1866 and passed away in 1934, writes An Essay in Aesthetics and shows us how to use art to experience life. The introduction notes state that he makes the decision to focus on painting rather than continuing his training in science. Can a scientific mind assess art with the same tools? He may not be an expert on all aspects of art, but he is undoubtedly more knowledgeable than the majority of us and starts out by utilizing a quotation from a renowned artist who defines painting as the art of reproducing solid objects upon a flat surface using colors. Such objectivity should be acceptable to Fry's scientifically inclined mind and his inner art enthusiast seeks a deeper meaning behind art; he wonders why people flock to art galleries to look at colored pigments painted on a flat surface; and he then exiles artists from his ideal society. Plato may have disagreed, but Fry believes that art is valuable and that we have an instinct for it in addition to our instinct for survival. According to Fry, when we look at art, we become true witnesses, seeing everything equally rather than picking and choosing what to see, and as a result, we gain a new perspective on the world.
If we are too preoccupied with escaping from a real bull, we
won't notice all the minute features. Fry thus makes a universal distinction
between an artist's real and imagined existence. He contends that we only pay
attention to objects in our lives that exist for the sole purpose of being
seen. Art is an expression and stimulation of this creative existence that
brings the artist's imagination to the surface so that other people can see it
as well. He thinks that these common human feelings are the secret to
understanding excellent art; this is why people visit art museums to see and
experience the rich imaginative life of the artist.