Globalization and Cultural Identity of Art Works

Works of art are properly characterized as cultural objects, as opposed to being merely physical or perceptual objects. As cultural objects, works of art can be embodied in physical objects, but they require properties that physical objects do not necessarily possess, such as being intentionally composed in some artistic medium in a particular historic context informed by ideas, values, and technical skills and means offered by the culture. Works of art retain their identity in important respects, but may also undergo change when transferred from one culture to another. The identity of a work may be enriched and expanded to incorporate features acquired as a result of its being interpreted in a new cultural setting. An expanded and clarified account of culture is required to give a fuller characterization of the cultural properties that comprise works of art and to support the view that cultural identity in some sense transcends a culture of origin. Culture is a multi-phased concept involving at least three related elements. First, there are the particular art cultures consisting of art-making and their attending strategies of interpretation found in the art worlds of various societies. Secondly, the culture of a people consists of the broader societal, political, economic, religious, ideological, and other practices that define a culture. An additional element is world or global culture consisting of the features of art that enable people from diverse cultures to interpret and appreciate art from other cultures. Within these frameworks, the identity of art works is open and cumulative, with the result that they continuously acquire new properties over the duration of their existence.