A Different Approach to Other in Art: With a Luhmannian Approach

Abstract
Niklas Luhmann was one of the prominent thinkers in the realm of sociology and the philosophy of social sciences. His approach was a systems approach. He classified the realm of reality and its entities into four groups that consisted of: machines, organisms, psychic systems, social systems. He belonged to the second wave of systemic thought and focused on the complexity and emergence in the social systems. One of the fundamental properties of systems approach is holism, that is, to survey different social realities with a single method and from single standpoint (functional analysis and comparison of systems). This approach provides new standpoints in the ground of the studies of art. Art in a Luhmannian approach, as a social system, is a type of indirect communications and meta-language that operates relying on the self-referential operations. In fact, each the new operation is the consequence of the reference of system to the previous operations in the past time horizon. This process keeps opening the future time horizon. A clear example from the self-referential closure is the emergence of artistic styles one after another that criticize, emphasize or moderate some of the each other elements. For example, ‘Impressionism’ is the result of activity of the system art in reaction to ‘Realism’. Such activities are considered as the consequences of self-communication of the system art. But Luhmann’s purpose is not the rejection of role of other in the art system. The guiding distinction between system/environment confirms this point. This distinction and also distinction between self-referential and hetero-referential are important for the art system from the ontological and epistemological aspects. Undoubtedly, the continuity and self-cognition and self-description of the art system is not possible without communication with other. Art should be distinguished and differentiated from non-art in order to the declaration of existence. The merger of art with non-art is same its end. Therefore, we have to accept that the rejection of usefulness, the disinterested pleasure and the inner end in the movement of “art for sake art”, is not the elimination of other from art. Art is a form of communication.  Communication does not form without differentiation and distinction. The pure self-communication is not the resolution of problems of the art system. The artistic modern movements cannot claim that just have pure self-communication, that is, they are closed stsems. Art needs to innovation for being and staying. All social and psychic systems are participating in the art system. Of course, uncontrolled communications will be many problems for systems. To reduce the dynamics of the art system is one of these problems. Modern art with the highest level from independence and autonomous and dynamics is interacting with environment (including, societies and humans). Luhmannian approach by using systems approach and notice to communications has emphasized on the necessity of being of other in the art system. In this paper, relying on studying (translation and analysis) of Luhmann’s main works, we attempt to express the necessity of being of other in the art system from a different perspective.