Thinking Art An Introduction to Philosophy of Art
In the twentieth century, avant-garde movements have pushed the concept of art far beyond its traditional boundaries. In this dynamical process of constant renewal the prestige of thinking about art as a legitimizing practice has come to the fore. So it i
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Antoon Van den Braembussche
Thinking Art An Introduction to Philosophy of Art
Antoon Van den Braembussche Free University of Brussels Pleinlaan, 2 Avenue A. Buyl 12 1050 Brussels Belgium [email protected]
Denken over Kunst. Een Inleiding in de kunstfilosofie. Countinho. 1994 (First Edition). 2006 (Fourth Edition). Translators: Michael Krassilovsky. Rutger H. Cornets de Groot. Dick van Spronsen The translation of this book was made possible by a publication grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO)
ISBN: 978-1-4020-5637-6
e-ISBN: 978-1-4020-5638-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2009927089 © 2009 Springer Science + Business Media B.V. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Cover Photo: Joseph Kosuth, Passagen-Werk (Documenta-Flânerie), 1992 (© Joseph Kosuth, PassagenWerk, c/o Pictoright Amsterdam 2009) Note from the Publisher: There are instances where we have been unable to trace or contact the copyright holder. If notified the publisher will be pleased to rectify any errors or omissions at the earliest opportunity. Printed on acid-free paper springer.com
Foreword
Antoon Van den Braembussche rightly observes at the beginning of this admirable book, available for the first time in English, that the philosophy of art is a burgeoning field. Not only is its literature expanding rapidly, but so are the perspectives of its practitioners. This is not surprising. The philosophy of art exists because art exists, and for more than a century now art has been unfolding at a dizzying pace. Indeed, its development continues to accelerate, and it is no exaggeration to say that in recent decades the art world has witnessed an unprecedented explosion of new movements and forms. Against this background, someone coming to the philosophy of art for the first time needs an introduction, and an introduction of a particular kind. But what should such an introduction include, and how should it proceed? It is hard to imagine a better place to look for answers to these questions than Thinking Art. One might start by noting that the philosophy of art is a peculiarly challenging field to introduce. For one thing, its subject matter is elusive in comparison with other areas of philosophy. In the theory of knowledge, for example, we do not have to look far beyond ourselves to find the target of reflection: we all perceive and think and claim to know things, however we may interpret these activities philosophically. Philosophers of art, on the other hand, are not only confronted with the established arts – painting, sculpture, music, and so on – but with a variety of objects that are not readily classifiable and even c
