Answer to Nicole's Question

On page 431 in our book, Dickie claims that institutional formality and rules for art “would threaten the freshness and exuberance of art.” In what ways would rules and formalities do this? In what ways could these things promote and sharpen creativity? Is it possible to conceive of art without a certain set of rules and expectations?
Artists and writers already have rules, in fact, certain modern artists have written manifestos specifically detailing their rules, though maybe not so formal and pretentious, they are still rules. There are rules and structures for poetry and novels which do not threaten the freshness of art because they are altered by everyone new author who adopts a new hybrid methodology for literature and poetry. Moreover, in art, there is methodology of art and the form that goes on in the brushstrokes, as well as the theory which has permeated modern and post-modern art. I personally believe that such methodology and rules (which can be broken) are vitally important. 


However, I do not think it is beneficial to conceive art without a certain set of rules or expectations because there has to be a basis on which art is made. Therefore, there is a necessity for rules but one should be allowed to break the rules in order to serve one's own methodology.