Abstract
The article focuses on the African-American painter Horace Pippin (1888-1946). By using a cultural sociologically informed approach it connects his life – how Pippin became an artist –and art – what his art can mean to us – with the aim of understanding how an art for art’s sake (konstens egenvärde) can be related to, yes, even make up the presupposition for, an art for art’s surplus value (konstens mervärde) concerning issues of race, politics, the arts and diversity. The guiding question is what we can learn from the African-American philosopher Cornell West’s analysis of the meaning of Pippin’s art, which in turn is deeply informed by the sociologist W.E.B Du Bois’ (1868-1963) concept of “double consciousness”; how Pippin paints an African-American everyday life beyond the white gaze. Through such an understanding of Pippin’s, in his own words, “art’s life history, that is my art”, the article also provides an idea of what sociology of art and art didactics might be.
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