In-Class Exercise: Oscar Wilde
"It treats the work of art simply as a starting-point for a new creation"
This holds the key to understanding Wilde's piece. Criticism, as a form of art, uses its subject as a platform to build from. Wilde seems to be inverting Platonic ideology and applying it to art. With Plato, life is an imperfect representation of a perfect idea. The issue that Wilde had with painting, however, is that it tries to resemble life too much. He believes that art should come from the individual, growing from their beliefs and thoughts. Criticism is how someone experiences the art, expressing themselves in the form of criticism. I agree that if criticism comes from the same internal motivation that drives more traditional forms of art, then it can be considered so. However, this depends on intention.
True criticism could be art, but modern criticism is not. Most of what we see nowadays is crafted to draw attention. It isn't a form of self expression but rather a form of income and publicity. The term 'criticism' in and of itself has been dragged through the dirt by the modern approach. It is drenched with negativity. However, Wilde references it in its purest form. I agree that criticism is art, but only when it is done in the manner we see through the writing.
This holds the key to understanding Wilde's piece. Criticism, as a form of art, uses its subject as a platform to build from. Wilde seems to be inverting Platonic ideology and applying it to art. With Plato, life is an imperfect representation of a perfect idea. The issue that Wilde had with painting, however, is that it tries to resemble life too much. He believes that art should come from the individual, growing from their beliefs and thoughts. Criticism is how someone experiences the art, expressing themselves in the form of criticism. I agree that if criticism comes from the same internal motivation that drives more traditional forms of art, then it can be considered so. However, this depends on intention.
True criticism could be art, but modern criticism is not. Most of what we see nowadays is crafted to draw attention. It isn't a form of self expression but rather a form of income and publicity. The term 'criticism' in and of itself has been dragged through the dirt by the modern approach. It is drenched with negativity. However, Wilde references it in its purest form. I agree that criticism is art, but only when it is done in the manner we see through the writing.
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