Aesthetics, disinterestedness, and effectiveness in political art / Maria Alina Asavei.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Asavei, Maria Alina, author.

Standardized Title:

Political-critical art and the aesthetic

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Art--Political aspects.

Art.

Aesthetics--Political aspects.

Aesthetics.

Politics in art.

Physical Description:

175 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham : Lexington Books, [2018]

Summary:

Should politically concerned and engaged artistic production disregard questions or/and requirements of aesthetic reception and value? Whether art should be "aesthetic" or "political" is not a new question. Therefore, in spite of those several contemporary approaches of this issue, the answer is not set in stone and the debate is still going on. This volume aims to broaden these debates and it stems from numerous conversations with politically engaged artists and artist collectives on issues related to the "aesthetitzation of politics" versus the "politicization of art," as well as the phenomenon of the so-called "unhealthy aestheticism" in political art. Thus, this study has three interrelated aims: Firstly, it aims to offer an interdisciplinary account of the relationship between art and politics and between aesthetics and the political. Secondly, it attempts to explore what exactly makes artistic production a strong - yet neglected - field of political critique when democratic political agency, history from below and identity politics are threatened. Finally, to illuminate the relationship between critical political theory, on the one hand, and the philosophy of art, on the other by highlighting artworks' moral, political and epistemic abilities to reveal, criticize, problematize and intervene politically in our political reality.

Contents:

Introduction: is political art at odds with the aesthetic

Political art : a conceptual clarification

Political-critical art and the aesthetic

Revisiting disinterestedness in political art's apprehension

Beauty and political art

The effectiveness question : is critical art politically effective?

Conclusion: on theorizing political art and the aesthetic

Bibliography.

Notes:

Revision of the author's thesis (Ph.D.--Central European University, 2013) under the title: Political-critical art and the aesthetic.

Includes bibliographical references (161-167) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Asavei, Maria Alina, author. Aesthetics, disinterestedness, and effectiveness in political art

ISBN:

9781498566797

1498566790

OCLC:

1040256682