"Paradigms and Purposes"

"Kant admits that, 'it seems strange that gardening may be regarded as a kind of painting,' but then explains that this art [Versailles gardens] can meet his criteria for 'free play of imagination'".

This excerpt from "Paradigms and Purposes" was the one part of this section that really caught my interest. As you might be able to tell from my previous writings as well as my comments in class, I am a fan of the more nontraditional forms of art. The phrase "free play of imagination" seems to emphasize the fact that Kant is much the same way. Although Kant seems to enjoy order and adherence to form, as the garden of Versailles depicts, he does not attempt to delve deeper into the "meaning" behind the garden. He sees it for what it is - - "a harmony of the faculties" - - and claims that is the reason why we call it a beautiful work of art.

Kant's definition of art is refreshing to me. He counts thunderstorms, volcanoes, and waterfalls as works of art, and I definitely can see his point of view. Coming from Arizona, I have spent many summers watching monsoons and lightning storms at night. Their beauty is breathtaking, mainly because of the unpredictability associated with them. You never know when you will encounter another one, so there is really no option but to enjoy their strength and power. These occurrences are never planned and to me, that is what makes them so intriguing. Nature is one of the most stimulating forms of art - - there is so many ways in which it can be admired and respected. As Kant would say, it stimulates the "free play of imagination" because of its endless possibilities.

The question I have is why do more people not count the free form of nature as art? I think that answer lies in tradition; for centuries, people have looked at art as something that hangs in a museum or something that must be critiqued or theorized. Society sees art as something to be created, not something natural found in our everyday lives. This is a tragedy in my eyes because people's imaginations would run wild if they only considered all that nature has to offer.