An Enquiry into the Nature and Influence of Art

Abstract

Art has, in New Zealand as elsewhere, a minority of devotees. And yet the Government is spending large sums on a National Art Gallery, Art exhibitions, a National Orchestra, a Literary Fund, and is proposing to establish a National Theatre. Are these merely for the delight of the few dilettanti, or is there something more than wishful thinking in the claim that good art is beneficial to the community? Much is said and written about the necessity for a high standard of art education and appreciation, but what is the value of art to society, apart from providing pleasure for the connoisseur? These were the questions which inspired this thesis. The attempt to answer them inevitably involves a discussion of the nature of art, and this introduces psychological, philosophical and aesthetic considerations which have greatly widened the scope of the enquiry. The first part of the thesis is, therefore, concerned with the nature of art. With some idea of the nature of artistic endeavour, it is then possible to consider a number of aspects of the appreciation of art. This is the scope of the second part of the thesis. After drawing together the main points of the first two parts, part three is concerned with the implications of these for the individual and for society. The whole enquiry is aimed at discovering what is the possible effect of great art, not what is the actual effect in any particular instance or group of instances. This has necessitated a less empirical approach than would have been the case in an enquiry into actual responses to particular works of art. Appended to the thesis proper, are more lengthy quotations illustrating various kinds of appreciation, and a survey of a questionnaire prepared in an attempt to go some way toward analysing the responses of a small group of people who appreciate good music.