An easily accessible collection of essays (don’t let the word put you off) related to the way we perceive and consider art, the study of beauty and taste – aesthetics.
Part One considers some theories of art from some of the worlds foremost philosophers and theorists including Aristotle, Kant, Hegel, Heidegger and Nietzsche. Part Two considers and discusses aesthetic theory including judgements of taste, beauty, narrative, pictorial representation and definitions of art. Part Three considers social issues and challenges in art including criticism, ethics, humour, tragedy, authenticity and expression. Lastly, Part Four looks at other individual arts including literature, music, sculpture, photography and film.
This book is a fantastic additional resource to your current studies and can introduce you to new artistic terms such as disinterested, aesthetic distance, negative aesthetics, significant form, mimesis, conventionalism, hypothetical intentionalism and postmodernism. Merely understanding just one of these terms will encourage some thought provoking insights towards your chosen medium of study.
Philosopher Ludwig Wittgensteign once wrote, “The limits of my language are the limits of why world”. Something for you to ponder.
Truro College Art and Design 