Art in context : understanding aesthetic value / David E.W. Fenner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fenner, David E. W.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Aesthetics.

Experience.

Art--Philosophy.

Art.

Physical Description:

xviii, 350 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Athens : Swallow Press/Ohio University Press, [2008]

Summary:

The various lenses-ethical, political, sexual, religious, and many others-through which we may view art are often instrumental in forming our appreciation of the work. In Art in Context: Understanding Aesthetic Value, philosopher David Fenner presents a straightforward, accessible overview of the arguments about the importance of considering the relevant context in determining the true merit of a work of art.

Although critical methods that focus on distance, detachment, aestheticism, art for art's sake, and formalism can at times be illuminating, such approaches risk missing the larger and often central issue of a piece. Art in Context is a systematic, historically situated, and historically evidenced attempt to demonstrate the importance of considering contexts that will, in the vast majority of cases, enhance the aesthetic experience.

Based on the findings of philosophers and critics, and on artwork throughout history, Art in Context provides a solid foundation for understanding and valuing a work of art in perspective as well as within the particular world in which it exists.

Contents:

A theory of "the aesthetic"

The value of art

Disinterest theory and formalist theory

Contextualist theory

Issues of definition

Issues concerning the power of art

Issues of meaningfulness

Science and contextualist aesthetics

A review of the arguments and evidence.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 331-343) and index.

ISBN:

9780804011044

0804011044

9780804011051

0804011052

OCLC:

175218457

Online:

Contributor biographical information

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