Chapter 1

Question 1

Aesthetics

Answer 1

The branch of philosophy concerned with the feelings aroused in us by sensory experiences

Question 2

Chauvet Images

Answer 2

Earliest paintings that we are aware of; 30,000 bce; from the Upper Paleolithic period; within a cave in the Ardeche region of France

These images demonstrated that art on cave walls was not purely for the purpose of magical assistance in hunts but for the sake of art

Question 3

What do artists do?

Answer 3

1. Create places for some human purpose
2. Create extraordinary versions of ordinary objects
3. To record and commemorate
4. To give tangible form to the unknown
5. To give tangible form to feelings and ideas
6. To refresh our visions and help us see the world in new ways

Question 4

Which traits to creative people tend to possess?

Answer 4

1. Sensitivity - heightened awareness of what one sees, hears, and touches as well as responsiveness to other people and their feelings
2. Flexibility - an ability to adapt to new situations and to see their possibilities; willingness to find innovative relationships
3. Originality - uncommon responses to situations and to solving problems
4. Playfulness - a sense of humor and an ability to experiment freely
5. Productivity - the ability to generate ideas easily and frequently, and to follow through on those ideas
6. Fluency - a readiness to allow the free flow of ideas
7. Analytical Skill - a talent for exploring problems, taking them apart, and finding out how things work
8. Organizational Skill - ability to put things back together in a coherent order

Question 5

Vanitas

Answer 5

Latin for vanity; alludes to the biblical book Ecclesiastes; a meditation on the fleeting nature of earthly life and happiness in which we read in the end that “all is vanity”