Art Theory Research Articles

Introduction: Aesthetic Education through Narrative Art

Abstract The purpose of this introduction is to set out the scope and content of this special issue of the Journal of Aesthetic Education, which takes Aesthetic Education through Narrative Art as its subject. I begin by delineating the “aesthetic” itself and then identifying the denotation of “aesthetic education” with which the issue's authors are concerned. This is followed by a characterization of “narrative art” that belies my preference for representation rather than art and draws attention to the multiple modes of representation that constitute complex narratives. I next turn to the title of the special issue, an abridged version of Aesthetic Education through Narrative Art and its Relevance for the Humanities, which is an installation research project funded by the Croatian Science Foundation to investigate the relationship between aesthetic and artistic values on the one hand and ethical, political, and social values on the other. The project is multidisciplinary among philosophy, criminology, film studies, and cognitive science, and three of the authors are members of the project team. I conclude by introducing each of the six articles, which employ two approaches, one from philosophical aesthetics and the other from critical criminology.

An introduction to György Márkus’s aesthetics: Transformation from praxis aesthetics to theory of aesthetic modernity

György Márkus, as a leading member of the Budapest School led by György Lukács in Hungary, is closely concerned with aesthetics. His final unfinished writings in political exile in Sydney were focused on the question of modern cultural autonomy. From the 1960s to the new century, from Budapest to Sydney in Australia, he established a new form of Neo-Marxist aesthetics on the basis of critical theory drawn from Lukács to the Frankfurt School. His aesthetics includes three dimensions: an aesthetics of praxis, a reconstruction of Lukács’s aesthetics and a theory of aesthetic modernity. His aesthetics is characteristic of analytic philosophy, especially ‘categorical analysis’. It shifts from philosophical aesthetics in the Hungarian period, which is based on an ontological foundation, that is, materialist phenomenology, to social or sociological aesthetics in the Australian period concerning social modernity, institution, constitution, culture, and so on. This is a turn from a philosophical paradigm to a structural one as regards aesthetics, which indicates a break with Lukács’s late return in the early 1960s to Hegelian inspired Ontology of Social Being. Márkus is strictly and essentially an essayist in fragments, who distinguishes himself from the other members of the Budapest School in this way. Ironically, this genre is once again influenced by the young Lukács’s aesthetics.

How digital-only fashion brands are creating more participatory models of fashion co-design

The norms and systems of the fashion industry tend to support a small class of brands and designers creating fashion while the public takes on the role of passive consumer. The rise of digital fashion and a new sector of ‘digital-only’ fashion brands now provides unique ways for consumers to interact with fashion online, from buying wearables for digital gaming avatars, to wearing a digital dress on social media, to investing in non-fungible tokens (NFTs) – digital assets based on blockchain technology, bought and sold online. Digital-only fashion brands are reimagining the hierarchical relationships between brand and consumer towards one of empowerment and mutual value via decentralized co-design platforms. Such endeavours allow brands to build community and challenge the ownership and authorship conventions in the fashion industry. Co-design has been widely used by fashion brands as a strategy that promotes involvement from the public/consumer in creating customized and made-to-order products and experiences. Using established theories of participatory art, an approach to making art which engages the public and communities in the creative process, this article explores how digital-only fashion brands are creating more participatory models of fashion co-design. To confirm and further explore this theory and to consider how a participatory model is achieved in practice, a qualitative case study was conducted on The Fabricant Studio, a collaborative digital fashion atelier. The findings reveal new methods of co-design used by digital fashion brands that allow consumers to design and monetize their craft while retaining creators’ ownership. The application of the theory also underscores the importance of creative control and decision-making in the fashion co-design process to ensure it is truly participatory vs. interactive. The Fabricant’s methods to educate users through accessible platforms contribute to the diversification of co-designers and digital fashion designers in general.

The Nondiscursive Aesthetics of Music, Lyric Poetry, and Tragedy

Abstract: Is it possible to speak about the unspeakable as it is represented in music, lyric poetry, and tragedy? The answer is yes, if we adopt a purely aesthetic perspective. The answer is no, if we adopt the perspective of the transcendental subject as the metaphysical source of music, lyric poetry, and tragedy. In this paper, I conceptualize the nondiscursivity of music, lyric poetry, and Attic tragedy in the philosophical aesthetics of Kant, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche. I also make a few incidental remarks to Plato's Socrates and Aristotle as well as the Theban plays by Sophocles.

Trust the Pianofish: Shaun McNiff and the magically realistic expressive arts

In resonance with lived art-based research, this article aims to let the art speak through image and poetry and to reflect the phenomenon of imagination and reality within expressive arts in an interdisciplinary mode. The article focuses specifically on Shaun McNiff’s cover image Pianofish of his book Integrating the Arts in Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice through poetic response, dialogue and expressive arts theory of practice. The notion of different realities and imagination as we know it from the literary genre ‘magic realism’ have been central components since the inception of the field of expressive arts at Lesley University. This article reflects ‘magic realism’ in its play with different realities and Shaun McNiff’s appeal to stay with the image. The author refers to Salman Rushdie’s notion of ‘magic realism’ in the context of the phenomenologically based expressive arts.

جمالیات سے متعلق نصیر احمد ناصر کے نظریات :"حسنِ تفسیر" کا اختصاصی مطالعہ

Aesthetic is concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty. It is used to talk about beauty or art and people’s appreciation of beautiful things. Its value can be defined as sensation or feeling of enjoying beauty. Every human will have the value of aesthetics or aesthetic sense that one get to enjoy whatever he sees in his daily life. As a study it aims at the understanding of beauty that is prescribed in front of us. It is not just expressing, enjoying beauty our inner emotions are connected to pursuit of beauty in all its means. In this article Dr. Naseer Ahmad Nasir view on Aestheticism are described who is a notable Islamic Scholar & philosopher from Pakistan. He wrote numerous books on aesthetics including Husn- e -Tafseer in three volumes. His important contribution to philosophy was research on Aesthetics. He tries to explore the Holy Quran with reference of Philosophy of Aesthetics. He claims that it is a unique effort because his work is matchless throughout the Muslim World. Actually, aesthetic is successful attempt to view and to discover the beauty of universe. Human being is part of its beauty and Holy Quran invites this creature to create a very beautiful society to live in. He tries to put before the world this aspect of Holy Quran.

Eksistensi Filsafat Seni pada Era Disrupsi

The era of disruption brings fundamental changes in the art world, presenting challenges and opportunities that require deep philosophical understanding. This research aims to explore the existence of art philosophy in the era of disruption, discussing the transformation of art identity, the dynamics of the relationship between art and technology, ethical considerations in digital art, the role of art as an agent of social change, and the shifting paradigm of the art economy. The results of this research provide an in-depth look at the complexities of contemporary art in the face of cultural, technological, and social change. The practical and philosophical implications of the existence of art philosophy are outlined, providing a foundation for artists, researchers, and art lovers to understand and permeate the dynamics of art in this time of disruption. This research also identifies future research directions to deepen the understanding of the role of philosophy of art in facing challenges and innovations in the evolving art world.

Analisis Puisi “Jarak 1” Karya Heri Isnaini Dengan Menggunakan Pendekatan Mimetik

Poetry is beautiful language based on the results of someone's thoughts and feelings expressed in written language. Poetry is an imaginative literary work that contains analogies of meaning with other uses so that the meaning contained in the poem is hidden behind words, similes and aesthetics that not everyone understands the meaning of the poetry conveyed. When reading poetry, it is necessary to read poetry repeatedly to understand the meaning of the poem because the language in poetry has a broad, implied meaning and is difficult to interpret. Therefore, readers must understand how to study poetry with knowledge in order to understand the meaning of the poetry conveyed. The poem by Heri Isnaini with the title "1 Distance" is formed in simple language but is interesting to study. This attracts a reader to study the poem and use it as research material. The aim of this research. The aim of this research is to analyze the meaning in the poem entitled "Distance 1" by Heri Isnaini and convey the content of the poem in detail so that readers can understand the meaning conveyed through this research. This research is also useful for readers to further develop literary works in the form of poetry. The method used in this research uses a qualitative descriptive method which examines the content of the meaning of the poem "1 Distance". In this way, this research will reveal the implied meaning of the poetry presented by the poet. Apart from that, the author dissects this poem using a mimetic approach. Mimetics is an approach in literary criticism regarding imitation or fiction of real life.

Exploring Innovation in Visual Language of Modern Fiber Art within the New Media Landscape

Fiber art, an art form with a rich history, has witnessed significant advancement in its creative practices and theoretical research over the past several decades. The study of visual language in this field is pivotal in modern fiber art theory. By examining the visual language employed in fiber art, artists understand how to effectively utilize these elements to construct meaningful and aesthetically pleasing work. Further, this understanding aids viewers in decoding and appreciating fiber art's inherent value and significance. This paper explores the linguistic characteristics unique to modern fiber art. It investigates the innovative transformations in the visual language of this art form within the context of the new media environment. The innovation in modern fiber art, as manifested through evolving materials, technological methodologies, and forms of expression, ultimately leads to an advancement in its visual language. This evolution, in turn, contributes to the emergence of a refreshed aesthetic in modern fiber art.

姜夔《续书谱》中的儒家书艺观

The Song Dynasty created another peak different from the previous dynasties in terms of ideology such as literature, art, and philosophy. In this era of cultural prosperity and development, artistic activities such as poetry, calligraphy, and painting have shown outstanding achievements in both artistic creation and theory. Jiang Kui is one of the representative figures. He not only left rich literary and artistic achievements for future generations in literature and calligraphy creation, but also left precious ideological wealth for future generations in terms of literary and artistic theory, especially calligraphy theory. As an artist with profound attainments and unique insights into calligraphy, Jiang Kui pondered and summarized his many years of writing experience and artistic experience, and conducted a series of basic questions on calligraphy aesthetics, basic techniques, and cultural meanings. “Xushupu” can be said to be one of the works with remarkable achievements and great influence in the Southern Song Dynasty calligraphy theory, and it has been valued by calligraphers of all dynasties. This article intends to focus on “Xu Shu Pu”, by interpreting Jiang Kui's calligraphy theory, and examining his Confucianism-inspired calligraphy concept. Jiang Kui established “Fengshen” as the highest aesthetic standard of calligraphy art in “Continued Books”, and launched his theoretical interpretation with “Fengshen” as the core. Influenced by Zhu Xi's thoughts and Neo-Confucianism, he also showed an obvious tendency to respect “yili” and “gufa” in his calligraphy theory.

Ine, Decorative Art & Design: Current Issues Of The Terminology Correlation.

The aim of the article. To find out the current theoretical and terminological activity caused by the nostrification of artistic and educational processes in Ukraine and the world using educational administration. It is noted that schematics and unification come into conflict with the historically formed terminology in the field of methods of art and design education, which have become the historical image of schools. The global civilizational changes that radically weakened the resistance and ability to self-development of authentic varieties of art are considered. The loss of immunity from unification affected the field of terminology, which is a kind of indicator of changes. The starting position of novelty is the understanding that art is not a resource bound in artificial terminological schemes, but a self-sufficient value. Practical significance. Considering the old and new paradigms, building your system of values is recommended, which are concentrated in the field of terminology. Based on the analysis of a large block of literature, it is recommended to preserve the educational programs "Aesthetics", and "Philosophy of Art" as fundamental in Art Academies of modern Ukraine. The conducted analysis of the literature draws attention to the terminological developments of the Faculty of History and Theory of Art of the Lviv National Academy of Arts, which require systematic continuation. Main results. It has been observed that the obsessive juxtaposition of classical and non-classical vectors of creation, as well as "old and new" terminological systems, psychologically traumatizes artists. Contrasting and unifying involuntarily distorts the truth, and thus harms the art itself. During the periods of Ukraine's statelessness, the enemies politically "justified" the new terms as "relevant" and interpreted the national terms as "obsolete". It is recommended that artists-pedagogues and art historians establish the mission of interpreters and "talismans" of the primary and newest values of fine, applied art and design. The need to correlate artistic and administrative-educational terminology in one's language has been put forward as a major problem. In particular, using the example of fine and decorative arts, it is proposed to use the existing administrative and terminological division of specialties "by default". However, the content-conceptual part of educational programs should be enriched with a historically verified spectrum of terms and concepts with their inherent local connotations. It has been observed that in the historical-artistic and sacral-morphological sense, the term "applied art" is not the same as "craft". The relevance of the commonly used by leading Ukrainian art critics of the 19th and early 20th centuries has been proven of the term "applied": that which is "in life", "in use". It is emphasized that global civilizational changes have radically weakened the resilience and ability to self-develop authentic varieties of applied art. The loss of immunity from administrative unification hurt the field of terminology, which is a kind of indicator of changes

Designing of future ornamental crops: a biotechnological driven perspective.

With a basis in human appreciation of beauty and aesthetic values, the new era of ornamental crops is based on implementing innovative technologies and transforming symbols into tangible assets. Recent advances in plant biotechnology have attracted considerable scientific and industrial interest, particularly in terms of modifying desired plant traits and developing future ornamental crops. By utilizing omics approaches, genomic data, genetic engineering, and gene editing tools, scientists have successively explored the underlying molecular mechanism and potential gene(s) behind trait regulation such as floral induction, plant architecture, stress resistance, plasticity, adaptation, and phytoremediation in ornamental crop species. These signs of progress lay a theoretical and practical foundation for designing and enhancing the efficiency of ornamental plants for a wide range of applications. In this review, we briefly summarized the existing literature and advances in biotechnological approaches for the improvement of vital traits in ornamental plants. The future ornamental plants, such as light-emitting plants, biotic/abiotic stress detectors, and pollution abatement, and the introduction of new ornamental varieties via domestication of wild species are also discussed.

Теоретико-методические основания в развитии художественного образования обучающихся

The study appears relevant due to the need of theoretical and applied pedagogy to research the issues of art education concerning its theoretical and methodological aspects. The purpose of the research is to study the theoretical and methodological principles in development of art education. Attention is drawn to the content of the Art Education Framework as a federal-level document that develops the strategy of the cultural policy of the Russian Federation in the designated area and regulates art education in educational organizations of different levels. Research results. It is shown that the creation of art education theories is a rather complex process which makes scholars consider basic scientific theories: the theory of artistic perception and the theory of artistic creativity, which are regarded through their applied aspect. Our interest in visual fine art determines the prerequisite of considering the theories of visual fine arts in various historical periods. These theories serve as a theoretical basis both in the field of art education and in the field of fine arts. The article summarizes the main movements in teaching fine arts at school created by various authors. The article emphasizes that the study of both these movements and the fine arts educational programs that correspond to them facilitate the choice in favor of the program that would fit the curriculum of a particular educational organization. The idea of what results of students’ visual arts development should be is reflected in both the concepts and methods of fine arts education that are presented in the program an educational organization will choose. These results become the methodological basis in development of art education. Main conclusions: the article emphasizes the necessity to carry out theoretical and methodological research in the field of art education as well as to overcome the problems of creating “coherent” theories of art education, theories of visual fine art and methods of teaching it based on the experience accumulated by Russian and foreign theorists and practitioners.

Philosophical Reflections on the Art of John Cage's 4 Minutes 33 Seconds

John Cage (1912-1992) was the most direct challenger of traditional music, a composer and musical inventor with considerable achievements in both destruction and reconstruction. He undoubtedly became the representative of the 20th century avant-garde music, and his works brought the people of the world a kind of shock and a kind of thinking. In opposition to traditional European musical art, 4 Minutes and 33 Seconds blurs the boundaries between sound and soundlessness, music creation and music appreciation, creating contemporary musical art that is purely centred on reflection. Because of the peak nature of the presentation of contemporary art, the philosophy of art also extends to the thinking of the entire philosophical community, so is the philosophical aspect of art at this time still called artistic thinking? In fact, it extends to people's thinking about the meaning of the existence of art and what is art. In Zhu Di's book Contemporary Western Philosophy of Art, he proposes that the concept of art is a "floating reference", which has a temporal transfer and presents different entities in different times.

Technical peculiarities of the narrative action games of the 1990s – 2010s as a factor of their development in the context of digital art

The purpose of the article is to reveal and analyze the technical peculiarities of the narrative action games of the 1990s – 2010s as a factor of their development in the context of digital art.
 The methodology of the research is accordingly conditioned by the interdisciplinary and techno-cultural nature of the subject of study that has an influence on the choice of toolkit among the components of which are: firstly, reductionist theory and the principle of technological determinism, which help to reveal the role of computer technology in improving game mechanics and shaping the an artistic-expressive means inherent in action games; secondly, narrative analysis that helps to understand the connection of the aesthetic effect with the unique narrative form of video games, which makes it possible to synergize the interactive and artistic-staging parts; and, thirdly, philosophical approach in its connection with the art historical analysis, thanks to the cooperation of which it becomes possible to apply game and phenomenological principles as elements of the above analysis to reveal the specifics of the artistic-virtual space of action games, which is close to interactive fiction and animated films in its aesthetic characteristics.
 The results. It was pointed out that in the 1990s – 2010s narrative video games thanks to technical progress made a “breakthrough” in the development of an artistic-expressive system. On the examples of “Wolfenstein 3D”, “Quake”, “Half-life”, “Half-Life 2”, “Doom 3”, “Fahrenheit”, “Crysis” and “Heavy Rain” it was proved that the development of action video games in the pointed period was supposed to solve the problem of conventionality (“animation”) of the image through technological innovations that reduced unrealism and increased its expressiveness. The key role in this played such an aesthetic constant as Narrative Space. It was found out that the technological evolution of action games as a genre of digital art was accompanied by the emergence of non-linear artistic and ontological patterns and the acceleration of the dynamics of the development of the game space.
 The scientific novelty. For the first time in the article an attempt was made to analyze the technical peculiarities of the action games of the 1990s – 2010s as a factor in their development in the context of digital art and interactive non-linear narrative.
 The practical significance. The obtained results can be applied in the modernization of programs for the professional training of multimedia directors, sound directors, animators, and other specialties in higher education institutions. The materials of the work are of the practical value for researchers in the field of theory and history of art, modern screen culture and audio-visual synthesis, and can be used in the development of educational and methodological manuals and lecture courses devoted to computer games and interactive programs.

Bodily-Affective Aspects of Phenomen in Malevich’s Suprematism

The study addresses some aspects of Suprematist theory of perception, allowing to investigate the structure of Suprematist phenomenon in the context of ontology, socio-political and religious-mystical works of K. Malevich. The aim of the paper is to present Malevich’s theory of perception in the framework of enactivism. Namely, the article focuses on the theory of social affordances, which today is widely used in design, game development and other everyday practices. The author refers to Malevich’s theoretical and sociopolitical essays, as well as to the commentary literature. Although Suprematism represents a well-researched tradition in art theory, the author stress the need for a follow-up study of Malevich’s theoretical essays in the contemporary context of philosophy of consciousness. The author also emphasizes the relevance of Suprematist philosophy for today’s way of thinking. For the most authentic presentation of Malevich’s ideas I use the phenomenological and hermeneutical method on a par with elements of the ecological approach in psychology and enactivism in the philosophy of consciousness. Consequently, the theory of affordances an effective and natural unification of all the aspects discussed above. The study shows the affinity of Malevich’s ideas to this theory. The author focused on the thesis of feeling as the goal of the expressive act of art. As one could see, Kazemir Malevich always emphasized the bodily-affective dimension of art, and in this sense he participated in a global cultural-historical shift in our conception of the essence of art. Since then, art has ceased to be elitist, but has instead inherited everyday practices. Thus, Malevich speaks of a new art that suits the man of the new world, the Soviet citizen. In this context, I relate the idea of affordance, which means the creation of a feeling-opportunity for subjective action (agency), to the artistic act whose goal, according to Malevich, is the creation of an emotional body-affective feeling. I defend the theory of social affordances, explaining the mechanism of social interaction, as the most adequate model for explaining Suprematism. As a result, based on the already developed concept of bodily-affective dynamics, I show how visionary and creative Malevich was, and how his ideas contribute to the development of a theory of social, emotional affordances.

Mondrian’s rendition of Schopenhauer’s metaphysics of will and disinterested aesthetic experience

Despite the pivotal role of German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) in the sophistication of Modern aesthetics and art theories in the 20th century and his special attention to aesthetic experience, considerably little is known about the impacts of his aesthetic theory, particularly pertaining his account on conception disinterested aesthetic experience formed based on his metaphysics of will, on some of the most enriched Modern art theories like Piet Mondrian’s Neo-Plasticism. On the other side of the spectrum, Mondrian’s Neo-Plastic paintings, his universal pure abstract style, have been well examined through historical approaches and Modernist theories, especially about the Greenbergian account and Modern styles like De Stijl art movement in the last few decades. Moreover, his quasi-philosophical writings have been vastly scrutinized in the light of their impacts on Theosophic, Platonic, and Hegelian doctrines. Interestingly, Mondrian, in his theoretical writings, explicitly refers to the Schopenhauerian conception of disinterested contemplation and the requirements for having a universal aesthetic experience. Yet, Mondrian’s account of Schopenhauer’s notion of disinterested contemplation, namely for notions like individual will, Will, intellect, cessation of subserviency of intellect to the will, and so on, has not been scrutinized through an aesthetic lens. Hence, this article first aims to investigate Mondrian’s rendition of Schopenhauer’s metaphysics of will and his account of disinterested aesthetic experience. Indeed, this article proposes this hypothesis that Mondrian, who always sought to unveil the Platonic Idea of an objective manifestation of a universal equilibrium (harmony) or pure beauty as truth through his universal Neo-Plastic art, was heavily influenced by Schopenhauer’s metaphysics of will and his attitude toward aesthetic contemplation which is disinterested and objective. At the end of this article, it becomes clear that Mondrian’s conception of pure intuition and his contemplative approach to aesthetic experience intimately conform to Schopenhauer’s view on the notion of disinterested aesthetic attention or contemplation narrated within his metaphysics of will.

Journaling memorable and meaningful tourism experiences: A strengths-based approach to technology-mediated reminiscence

Reminiscing on memorable travel experiences is a common practice amongst many travellers. This study introduces positive psychology interventions – cultivation of character strengths and savouring strategies - to examine memorable and meaningful tourism experiences (MMEs). Although both interventions aim to increase well-being, little research has been conducted on their roles in enriching MMEs. MMEs are fundamental to understand as part of the travel reminiscence process. MMEs could be heightened by connecting tourists’ past experiences with their character strengths (capacities for ways of behaving). Savouring, on the other hand, facilitates the connections to places. The reminiscence process helps tourists gain self-knowledge and make well-being oriented choices in their future journeys. In so doing, this research study created an interactive strengths-based journal that facilitated tourists to incorporate their character strengths in their past MMEs. The narratives were structured to connect explicit experiential components, such as tourism activities, with implicit psychological factors, such as emotions, character strengths, and values. Data collection involved ten tourists of diverse nationalities who created 51 MME narratives. Participants were then invited to savour their strengths used, reflect on their narratives, and express their behavioural intentions for their next trip. Data analysis, using grouped frequency distributions, found that MMEs were associated with the moderate strengths rather than the signature (prominent) strengths of the participants, such as curiosity and gratitude. Appreciation of beauty and excellence was the most dominant strength observed. The findings showed participants preferred their future journeys to be congruent with their character strengths. Theoretical and practical implications for tourist experience research are outlined.

A convolutional neural networks based approach for clustering of emotional elements in art design.

The rapid advancement of industrialization has sparked the emergence of diverse art and design theories. As a trailblazer in the realm of industrial art and design theory, visual communication has transcended the boundaries of merely arranging and combining individual elements. Embracing the potential of artificial intelligence technology, the extraction of multidimensional abstract data and the acceleration of the art design process have gained considerable momentum. This study delves into the abstract emotional facets within the methodology of visual communication art design. Initially, convolutional neural networks (CNN) are employed to extract expressive features from the poster's visual information. Subsequently, these features are utilized to cluster emotional elements using a variational autoencoder (VAE). Through this clustering process, the poster images are categorized into positive, negative, and neutral classes. Experimental results demonstrate a silhouette coefficient surpassing 0.7, while the system framework exhibits clustering accuracy and efficiency exceeding 80% in single sentiment class testing. These outcomes underscore the efficacy of the proposed CNN-VAE-based clustering framework in analyzing the dynamic content of design elements. This framework presents a novel approach for future art design within the realm of visual communication.

The Work of Art in the Age of Transmedia Production (With Regards to Walter Benjamin)

This essay is a rewriting of Walter Benjamin’s “The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technological Reproducibility,” a classic text in critical theory and media studies. Appropriating Benjamin’s sentence, paragraph, and essay structures, the essay presents a series of theoretical reflections on the status of art during the current age of transmedia production. The essay seeks to contribute to a theory of contemporary art that moves beyond capitalist, and increasingly fascist, ideologies. As in Benjamin’s essay, this work is an effort to think dialectically about the contradictions that structure our contemporary moment, and therefore to formulate a socialist aesthetics.