Social Roots of Defining Art: Sample of Art Students

For sure, to carry out a debate on the whatness of art is an attempt that should be affirmed. However, to discuss the whatness of art just through the concepts may end up with the ignorance of the most important element for creation of art, human being and its social and artistic position. For this reason, what should be done is to answer the whatness of art through analyzing the people in the field of art. As it is known, in modern differentiated societies, entrance to the field of art is usually performed through the processes of formal education. Therefore, the aim of this study is to discuss on the social resources of the dominant art definitions by focusing on those that appear most likely to have the possibilities of reproducing, transforming or refusing the existing approaches to art. To achieve this goal, semi-structured interviews were made with 20 first class students who have just started their education and 20 fourth class students who will graduate in 2011 -2012 academic year from Dicle University, Department of Fine Arts Training. As a result of these interviews, it was established that the university students’ relationship with the art is very limited before and during their university education, their knowledge is insufficient and in accordance with this, they seem to agree on a definition of art which enables them to enter the field of art.