Description
Book SynopsisWhether art can be wholly autonomous has been repeatedly challenged in the modern history of aesthetics. In this collection of specially-commissioned chapters, a team of experts discuss the extent to which art can be explained purely in terms of aesthetic categories. Covering examples from Philosophy, Music and Art History and drawing on continental and analytic sources, this volume clarifies the relationship between artworks and extra-aesthetic considerations, including historic, cultural or economic factors. It presents a comprehensive overview of the questionof aesthetic autonomy, exploring its relevance to both philosophy and the comprehension of specific artworks themselves. By closely examining how the creation of artworks, and our judgements of these artworks, relate to society and history, Aesthetic and Artistic Autonomy provides an insightful and sustained discussion of a major question in aesthetic philosophy.
Trade ReviewThe notion of aesthetic autonomy has assumed a number of forms across the diverse and too often mutually oblivious traditions of philosophy. In bringing together a wide range of interpretations from some of the leading theorists in their respective fields
Aesthetic and Artistic Autonomy provides an important and innovative overview of that notion. Thanks not least to the editor’s skilful introduction this volume makes a persuasive case for the indispensability of autonomy as a category of contemporary art theory. -- Brian O’Connor, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University College Dublin, Ireland
The autonomy of art has been a key issue in Continental traditions, and Owen Hulatt brings it centre-stage in Anglophone aesthetics. This is a collection of high quality that teases out autonomy's diverse meanings - showing its centrality to philosophical debate concerning the nature of art. -- Andy Hamilton, Reader in Philosophy, Durham University, UK
Table of ContentsNotes on Contributors \ Introduction Owen Hulatt \1. The Transcendental Economy of Aesthetic Experience Andy Hamilton & Richard Stopford \ 2. Aesthetic Autonomy and Artistic Heteronomy Robert Stecker \ 3.The Artwork and the Promesse du Bonheur in Adorno's Aesthetics Gordon Finlayson \ 4. Political Embeddedness and Artistic Autonomy: Jacques-Louis David as a Test Case Peter Lamarque \ 5. The Concept of Autonomy in the Visual Arts: A Conflict of Values Jason Gaiger \ 6. Indifferent to Intentions: The Autonomy of Artistic Meaning Paul Crowther \ 7. Aesthetic Autonomy and Identifying Non-Western Art Anneliese Monsere \ 8. Conclusion Casey Haskins \ Index
