Abstract
Up until this point in this book I have reviewed previous research and thinking in the area of perception as this relates to how we understand and perceive art. I have singled out the philosophical writing of Paul Crowther as being especially pertinent to my research. I then presented the findings of my own research into the characteristics I used to evaluate and understand twelve pieces of abstract three-dimensional abstract art. In this concluding chapter I summarise the findings from my research, make positive claims regarding theory development and I also offer caveats. I compare and contrast the findings from my research into the perception of two- and three-dimensional art and provide suggestions as to the direction of future research. I conclude that the structural model that I have developed may be thought of as a meta-ontological and meta-mereological account of the experience of abstract three-dimensional art.
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Notes
- 1.
Over the preceding century the practice of forming ontological understandings has also been taken-up by psychologists. It should also be noted that the in-depth philosophical study of ontology is not part of my usage of ontology. Rather, I am concerned with the ways in which basic accounts are formed of a given subject domain and how a particular ontological structure can aid in our interpretation of an individuals understanding.
- 2.
Hermeneutic consistency is a state that may be accorded to the interpretation of a data set when the behaviour under scrutiny is interpreted in a manner that is considered to yield consistent meaning (i.e., meaning that is robust across different situations and times).
- 3.
The interested reader is guided to the earlier seminal work on categorial models of art by Walton (1970).
- 4.
See earlier in this text for a description of the legitimate ways in which to partition items in partial order analyses.
- 5.
The belief that a formalisation of art theory, practice or appreciation can be developed runs counter to the widely held belief that art is in someway mystic, an act of genius that cannot be logically understood. Jessica Schwarzenbach and I mention this in Schwarzenbach and Hackett (2015). The thinking and writing of Benacerraf (1973) has informed my work in this area.
- 6.
I am using the term art intuition not in any exact sense. I am in no way claiming that the model I offer is truly intuitive in its nature. Rather, I employ the phrase art intuition simply, and in a highly restrictive way, to imply a sub-conscious and somewhat encompassing psychological quality. Holding such an outlook implies and necessitates that formal thinking about artwork should be understood and analysed using attitudes that imply a belief about artworks.
- 7.
It is my contention that art must necessarily be evaluated against an arena of independent facts in order to explain and facilitate the process of theorizing about art experiences.
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Hackett, P.M.W. (2017). Conclusions—The Perceptual Structure of Abstract Artwork. In: The Perceptual Structure of Three-Dimensional Art. SpringerBriefs in Philosophy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48452-5_5
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