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Alyssa Villanueva
Professor Patrick Watson
Digital Media Arts and Culture
9 October 2015
Self-Gallery: Art?
The different theories on art will give you a different understanding of what art should be.
In the book But is it Art?, Cynthia Freeland mentions various art theorists and the different views
they have towards art. I have created a self- gallery including five different artistic views of the
same photo. In these portraits, I found a way to connect my creativity to the different art theorists
mentioned in the book. These five portraits portray different art theories and connect in various
ways to the several art theorists.
The first photo included in this gallery conveys a very imaginative value. The art theorist
that inspired my work is Kant. A summary of his theory is that the aesthetic of art is
experienced when a sensuous object stimulates our emotions, intellect, and imagination. This
piece connects to Kants theory because it invokes curiosity and imagination. The photo has a
tie-dye background and a discoloration to my face. This makes the viewer realize the artistic
value of my portrait and leads them to question my imagination. The background of the picture
creates a sort of different dimension because it blocks the real world out. This photo involved
much artistic value and was supported by Kants art theory of artistic experience.
My next portrait was a simple photo with a distortion. The only clear part of this photo is
my face and the rest is distorted. The theorist that can connect to this photo is also Kant. His

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view towards creativity can be shown through abstract art. The portrait I created portrays simple
yet abstract creativity. The photo draws the viewers eye to the center of the photo, my face. It
intrigues the viewer through the originality of it.
The next self- portrait I created was inspired by Andy Warhol. His theories towards art
were different than others. He believed the major art values are found within simple creations.
This photo is almost like his well-known pop art. Its discoloration is an artistic way to show
perspective. I modified the colors to make them different than what a viewer expects. Warhols
theory supports this portrait because of the way it is simply created, yet it gives off much artistic
value and shows the creativity and perspective on art.
This next portrait was my most risky one. I created this photo in hopes of introducing the
idea of a different belief. The photo is black and white and includes a triangle created with clones
of one of my eyes. This portrait showed the ideas of John Dewey. He explains through his theory
that we should accept other cultures and be open minded towards them. He states that we can
feel the power of a culturally strange work, but knowledge adds considerably to our
experience. This explains that different cultures should be appreciated by understanding the
different beliefs. My photo can somewhat express theories on a certain belief that is ridiculed
throughout our culture.
My final portrait was edited to a simple extent. I discolored the photo to make everything
in it a florescent blue. The simple change in the color creates an imaginative idea towards why I
would choose this color to represent my feelings. This is could be supported by Kants theory of
art. Again, the imagination is what is invoked through this photo. It creates questions in the
viewers mind about my expression of emotions and creates a connection to the creator and
viewer.

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The art world is full of theorists and their interchanging theories. My creations of art were
expressed in different ways that these theories could support to consider art. After reviewing my
different views of art, I realized how these theories affect art and how I could see my art through
a different perspective.