The Public Dimension In Artistic Experience Theory Of Dewey

Dewey's theory of artistic experience mainly stems from his book Art as Experience,which shows the distinctive public dimension that artistic experience is subordinated to the public purpose of promoting communication and human progress,exists in the field of public life,and can be shared by everyone.Compared to private artistic activities,this public dimension suppresses difference,distinction and confusion,and emphasizes unity and order and continuity and integrity.In addition,public dimension infiltrates all aspects of artistic experience and integrates with it.From this dimension,this paper discussed how publicity is presented in Dewey's theory of artistic experience.The core of Dewey's artistic experience is "an experience"."An experience" has a definite public purpose that is the tendency to combine experience as a whole and even to promote public life.Corresponding to the public purpose,the subject of "an experience" is not a private or psychological self but a constantly conscious public self.In addition,"an experience" is a public unity with internal consistency which provides important theoretical support for the public dimension of artistic experience.Dewey classified the origin of artistic experience as public experience of daily life,and there is a continuity between artistic experience and daily experience.Artistic experience is not an independent existence but exists in public experience of daily life.The place for art,museum,was thus denied by Dewey.Howover,it did not hinder the continuity between artistic experience and public experience of life in the sense of three characteristics of museum.Moreover,Dewey referred to the material,medium and form of artworks in the process of artistic experience.The material of an artwork comes from and eventually returns to the public daily life.The media has an internal unity with the public purpose of artistic experience.The form of artistic experience is a kind of unique form with a property of publicity because they are sent to the public world ultimately and are suitable for sharing and strengthening the public life.Therefore,there is a public dimention in the material,medium and form of artworks according to Dewey.Artistic creation and admiring are activities that can be shared in the public realm,and the experience of them are basiclly the same.The emotion in artistic activities is public emotion that can be clearly explained.There is also a public dimension in significance of Dewey's theory of artistic experience.From the specific significance of artistic experience theory,there are four functions of public artworks,such as practical function,function of developing public education,function of promoting public communication and the function of developing public culture.From the perspective of general level,artistic experience has the-significances of reflecting the public value of human beings and promoting the development of public life.