Philosophy
Art as Imitation vs. Expression Theories
Quick fact
Plato famously wanted to ban artists from his ideal republic because they created mere imitations of the physical world, which itself was only a copy of the perfect Forms.
Why this is interesting
Have you ever looked at a painting and thought, 'That looks just like a photograph!' or, on the contrary, felt it was a raw outpouring of emotion? These two reactions mirror a centuries-old debate about what art should be.