The Art Question

ISBN-13: 9780415174893 / Angielski / Twarda / 2002 / 160 str.

Nigel Warburton

Opis

If an artist sends a live peacock to an exhibition, is it art? The question 'what is art?' is a question many of us want to know but are afraid to ask. It is the very question that Nigel Warburton demystifies in this accessible book. With help of carefully chosen illustrations and photographs, from Cezanne and Van Gogh to Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol and the Osmond family, author Nigel Warburton brings a philosopher's eye to art in a jargon-free style. Starting with the idea that art is simply significant form, he explains much talked about but little understood theories of art: art as expression, art as family resemblance, the institutional theory of art. Throughout, he brings to life the arguments of the thinkers behind these theories, such as Clive Bell, R.G Collingwood and Wittgenstein. He also illuminates other perplexing problems in art, such as the artist's intention, representation and emotion, before drawing on photographs of Cindy Sherman and Tiananmen Square to show that we must consider each work of art on its own terms if we are ever to answer the art question.

Spis treści

Introduction: Art and Philosophy 1. Significant Form 2. Expression of Emotion 3. Family Resemblances 4. Institutional Contexts 5. So What? A Hypothesis. Notes. Further Reading. Bibliography. Index.

O autorze

Nigel Warburton