Music and painting as forms of social consciousness

At the seminar, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Thai Viet argued that besides the basic questions of aesthetics such as: What is beauty, what is sublime? Where does beauty lie, object or subject? We can ask other equally important questions such as: How do we enjoy a work of art, why do we have such feelings… All these related questions turn out to bring us back to the issue of the relationship between social existence and social consciousness. This relationship itself has two characteristics: (1) The decisive nature of social existence on social consciousness; (2) The relative independence of social consciousness, shown in the fact that forms of social consciousness interact with each other and create their own impulses.
Applying both of these characteristics, Associate Professor Pham Thai Viet's talk showed that the history of music is the history of aesthetics and trends over many centuries. Music follows in the footsteps of other arts such as literature, painting, and architecture, and is often the result of changes in society, stemming from the changing ideas of philosophers, politicians, the church, and other leading figures in society. Overall, the talk provides an overview of different periods in the history of music and aesthetics, helping listeners understand what makes each period unique, what is important in the musical performance of artists and in the appreciation of the paintings of renowned artists.
With this approach to music and painting, the talk not only attracted great interest from lecturers and students of the Philosophy and Literature departments of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, but also sparked enthusiasm among lecturers and students from other universities such as the University of Culture, the University of Industrial Fine Arts, and the Academy of Journalism and Communication… The discussion at the seminar received many insightful and scientific contributions from participating lecturers and students. Lecturer Nghiep Thi Hai (University of Culture) discussed how to appreciate a work of art. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dang Thi Lan (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Social Sciences and Humanities) raised the question of why many works of art only become famous after the author's death. Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoai (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Social Sciences and Humanities) wondered whether the perception of creative energy in works of art or music might diminish in the context of technology and digitalization. Dr. Tran Minh Hieu (Faculty of Philosophy, University of Social Sciences and Humanities) expressed concern that the emerging market trend in public aesthetic taste might overshadow the ability to appreciate works of art. The seminar was lively until the very end, as it touched upon the inherent emotions and aesthetic thinking of each participant, both in person and online.   The scientific seminar "Music and Painting as Forms of Social Consciousness" is one of the regularly organized research and academic exchange activities of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, attracting the participation of researchers, lecturers, and students from within and outside the university.