Shklovsky's "Art as Technique"

Shklovsky’s "Art as Technique" emphasizes that the primary purpose of art is to make familiar things seem new and original. He argues that artists achieve this by using "defamiliarization"—deliberately disrupting normal perception to make us see ordinary objects, experiences, or language from a fresh perspective. This process encourages viewers to re-engage actively with the work, preventing complacency. In essence, art’s technique lies in its ability to break routines of perception, thus enriching our understanding and experience of the world around us.