Nelson Goodman states that the question within the philosophy of art is not “what is art”, but “when does an object become a work of art”. His view is based on formalism, a view that basically states that everything necessary within a work of art is contained within it. Meaning that the back round of the painting, the life of the artist, as well as the reasons for which the work of art was created is not considered to be significant when judging the quality of a piece of artwork. According to Goodman in order for an object to be seen as a work of art it must be able to function as a symbol in some contexts but not in others. For example a piece painting is seen as a work of art when it is hanging in a museum but when it is used to replace a broken window then it is not seen as a piece of art. Therefore according to Goodman an object becomes a work of art when it has five specific characteristics. (works of art must function symbolically, features of the symbol are significant, exemplification, a symbol must perform a variety of different functions.) Goodman states that works of art are made into works of art because we approach them in a unique way that makes them more significant then other objects.
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