This course will
examine prominent philosophies of art, especially those of the twentieth
century, and will consider how well they can accommodate changes in human
societies evidenced by the advancement of technology, as well as movements in
art in the last two centuries. The course will revolve around the following
themes: Can artworks be distinguished from natural objects and the products of
the crafts and technology? What is the function and effect of art? Does the
meaning of art change through history, and what implications does this have for
the possibility of the objective interpretation and evaluation of artworks?
Texts
Symposium, selections from the Poetics, Hume
“Of the Standards of Taste,” selections from the Critique of Judgment,
selections from The Birth of Tragedy, Tolstoy “What is Art?” selections
from “The Origin of the Work of Art,” selections from Benjamin “The Work of Art
in the Age of its Technical Reproducibility,” and Danto “The Artworld.” In addition, a variety of artworks will be
examined and discussed.