How Does Art Affect Worldview

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Our personal view of the world comprises of the way we think, our beliefs, and what we discern as true and false. Every new theory introduces information, and in that, presents another way of viewing the world. If a group of individuals perceive a theory in a similar manner, this can create a shared understanding. In this way, every theory has the potential to solidify and destabilize our worldview. Solidification suggests filling gaps in the existing body knowledge, and eventually helping to enhance current understandings. Destabilization, however, entails falsifying current notions and challenging our beliefs. The different forms and roles of theories and the extent to which theories achieve these will be explored in two contrasting areas…show more content…
Theories in art differ greatly from those in the natural sciences. In a broader sense, a theory can be thought of as a conceptual type of thinking. Hence, every piece of artwork can be considered a theory. This is because every artwork is an interpretation of a certain aspect of the world. In some way, it is an attempt to explain the world around it. In the words of famous German philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer, “the experience of art is an experience of meaning, and as such this experience is something that is brought about by understanding.” Art is used as a means to shape beliefs and challenge them, thereby shaping and challenging people’s view of the world. Viewers form their own unique interpretations of the world through the artwork and can even generate new understandings which are different from the artist’s…show more content…
by Marcel Duchamp. In this work, he defaced a postcard of the Mona Lisa painting, which was one of the most revered works of art at the time, and remains one of the most celebrated portraits in the world. By drawing a moustache and a goatee on the portrait, he created an offensive yet thought provoking piece, which sparked controversy as it forced viewers to reconsider what they thought of as art. Duchamp’s theory, following that of Dadaism, asserted that art was defined by the artist himself. The work intended to assault the conventional definitions of art, not to enhance them. Hence, this theory did not solidify the worldview. In completely contradicting the viewers’ and art community’s belief of what is considered as art, this theory destabilized their view of the

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