Some definitions of art

Account for first art?

Account for avant- garde art?

Account for new artforms and genres (e.g., jazz, photography)

Strengths

            Family resemblance

No

Not ready-mades

Radical stipulativism Experts arbitrarily decisions decide

No

Yes

Yes

Seems to describe how artworld often functions

Aes functionalism

Art if intended for aes experience of aes properties

Yes

No; can’t account for art that lacks or rejects aes properties

Yes (doesn’t require reference to established art

Institutional theory Artist created it to be presented to artworld

No as no art institution back then

Yes; allows for found and ready-made art

Yes

Stresses importance of artworld to art

Historicism

Art if properly related to its artistic predecessors

No as no predecessors

No as this art often aims to reject the tradition

No as historically unprecedented genres not so related

Can explain why not everything can be made to be art at every time