An Essay in Aesthetics by Roger Fry

Prereading Questions

1. What makes something a work of art?

2. Why do human beings, even cave men, create art?

3. Can something that is very ugly be a great work of art?

4. Is art important?

5. How is watching a movie of a dangerous situation different from being in a dangerous situation?

6. Present to the class a few pictures from various periods of art - e.g., realistic, impressionistic, abstract - or paintings by very different artists, such as Michelangelo and Andy Warhol. Have students discuss whether or why these are all works of art.

7. Look closely for several minutes at some object (or person) that is very familiar to you, making a list of aspects or details you had not really noticed, before.

Interpretive Note Sources (first reading)

Mark places where Fry says something about how art affects our emotions.

Mark places where Fry describes our "imaginative life."

Interpretive Questions for Discussion

1. Why does Fry think there is every reason for some works of art to be ugly?

2. Does Fry think art can affect our actions?

3. How would Fry explain why some works of art gain immediate recognition and others gain recognition only after a long period of time?

4. Can an object created for use, such as a china pot, become a work of art?

5. Does the artist have a moral responsibility?

6. Can art evoke undesirable emotions, such as hate and fear?

7. Why does Fry call the imaginative life "secondary"? (179)

8. Why does Fry consider art the chief organ of the imaginative life?

9. Why do we need art if we already have active imaginations?

10. Why is recognition of the artist's purpose an essential part of the aesthetic judgment?

11. How does artistic vision differ from ordinary perception?

12. Why are the emotions of the imaginative life weaker but more pure? (178)

13. Why does Fry think it is important for people occasionally both to "feel" and to "watch" their emotions? (180)

14. Why do the things that are useful to us wear a "cap of invisibility"? (179)

15. Does art distort reality, or portray it more exactly?

Passages for Textual Analysis

Pages 176-177; beginning, "I must begin with some elementary psychology, " and ending, "and a different kind of perception."

Pages 179-180: beginning, "Art, then, is, if I am right, the chief organ," and ending, "our own time that there is no need to prove it."

Pages 181-182: beginning, "If, then, an object of any kind is created, and ending, "supremely and magnificently ugly."

Post-Discussion Writing
1. What is the difference between "good" and "bad" art?

2. Can we be "actors" and "spectators" at the same time?

3. Are there other ways besides art that we can "get in touch" with our imaginative lives?

4. Is everyone an artist in something?

5. Is an experience of "pure emotion" a worthwhile end in itself?

6. Is censorship ever justified?

7. Can a painting by a donkey with a brush tied to his tail be great art?

8. What accounts for the feeling of beauty a work of art gives you?

9. How has a work of art - a painting or a piece of music - enabled you to experience the world differently?