Ethno-aesthetics is the study of art by focusing on the cultural context. Ethno-aesthetics does not just look at art, but includes specific cultural ideals and beliefs that might have influenced the artists, or been important to the audience. So in turn ethno-aesthetics analysis is when people use the culture of an artist to try to understand the piece, essentially looking at the art within its original context.
In August, when we were trying to define art Rebecca brought up the question that if a piece was not considered art by its creator(s), if it could be considered art by different audiences, losing its original cultural context. Cultural relativism an important part of ethno-aesthetic analysis, looking at the art under the terms of the culture, the artist, and usually the intended audience. Obviously when studying art, everyone does not include the aspect of ethno-aesthetic analysis, usually just thinking of the context the art has for them.
When doing an ethno-aesthetic analysis one can obtain a deeper and more accurate concept of the art, the artist and even the culture itself. All of these types of things are the strengths of ethno-aesthetic analysis, but like everything, it also has weaknesses. Even though ethno-aesthetic analysis is considered to be a way to broaden our horizons, it can sometimes be considered to be in a smaller scope of knowledge than one would think. Most ethno-aesthetic analysis take place in small scale societies, and focuses on the specific society, not the hybridization, mixing together of multiple societies from interactions and on going relations.
A good example of this is when looking at the telephone wire baskets that Rebecca showed us from Africa. Obviously these materials were not always available to the indigenous cultures that are now making them daily. The wires are extremely colorful and vibrant, but they share no significant means to the artists or culture they are created in; though many tourists or even just outsiders do. This is where just using ethno-aesthetic analysis might not give the whole context of these baskets, because the context of them comes mostly from hybridization within this culture.
