Contemporary Aesthetics Research Articles

Art and Aesthetics: From Modern to Contemporary

AbstractThe author sketches the development of the relationship between art and aesthetics in the past four decades. He takes as his starting point the change that artists established in the sixties in relation to philosophical aesthetics. He argues that 1980 represented a historical threshold as concerns transformations both in art and its philosophy. He then discusses three theories of art and aesthetics— Nicolas Bourriaud’s “relational aesthetics” from the nineties, Jacques Rancière’s aesthetic project from the following decade, and the very recent “theory of contemporary art” developed by Terry Smith. In the author’s opinion, these three aesthetic or art theories not only disprove the pervasive opinion that contemporary aesthetics understood as philosophy of art is once more separated from contemporary art and the art world, but also manifest their factual import and impact in contemporary discussions on art.

Esthétique du design urbain

In the essay Aesthetics of Urban Design it is argued that contemporary aesthetics should have a base in the design of the city. It is in the everyday life of the city that people can train, exercise, improve and enlarge their aesthetic sensibilities. Given this context, two different approaches have to be distinguished. On one hand Lewis Mumford praised the medieval city as leading to the “dilation of the senses”. This is the historical approach to the question. On the other hand, however, urban design could play an important role in reconstructing the aesthetic sensibility especially today. Different reasons are relevant here. Since we can’ t presuppose that in the time after postmodernity people easily find access to the aesthetics, urban life could function as a new beginning. City life in many ways makes us acquainted with the aesthetic. The architecture of the houses, the layout of the street pattern or the atmospheres of a square have to be mentioned here. The relevance of urban design for the foundation of aesthetics can in different ways be argued from pragmatism’ s connecting the art more closely with the everyday life. John Dewey did so. But also neo-Marxism’ s idea of “sublating” art by realizing its promises in everyday life is relevant here. The essay argues that the slums, which are to be found all over the world sets some limits to the thesis that aesthetics, today, originates from urban design.

Esthétiques sans esthétique

The following paper highlights the way in which contemporary analytic or Anglo-American aesthetics neglects the topic of aesthetic experience. The paper briefly examines the historical background to this situation. It also looks at how analytic aesthetics’ preoccupation with the topic of art is largely responsible for this neglect. It concludes by arguing that most of the fundamental problems in aesthetics, including those that contemporary analytic aesthetics does concern itself with, must remain intractable without a better understanding of aesthetic experience per se.

Art et esthétique : du moderne au contemporain

The author sketches the development of the relationship between art and aesthetics in the past four decades. He takes as his starting point the change that artists established in the sixties in relation to philosophical aesthetics. He argues that 1980 represented a historical threshold as concerns transformations both in art and its philosophy. He then discusses three theories of art and aesthetics—Nicolas Bourriaud’s “relational aesthetics” from the nineties, Jacques Rancière’s aesthetic project from the following decade, and the very recent “theory of contemporary art” developed by Terry Smith. In the author’s opinion, these three aesthetic or art theories not only disprove the pervasive opinion that contemporary aesthetics understood as philosophy of art is once more separated from contemporary art and the art world, but also manifest their factual import and impact in contemporary discussions on art.

An Investigation of Contemporary Menswear Design in Hong Kong

ABSTRACTAs the menswear market has transformed dramatically in recent years, traditional studies and concepts of menswear are now dated. In this Hong Kong based study, the views of the local young generation on contemporary menswear aesthetics are examined. A total of 103 males and females were invited to participate in a questionnaire survey which elicited their perceptions concerning contemporary menswear aesthetics, locally and globally, in the areas of attractiveness, fashionability, masculinity and purchase motivation.The characteristics of ten menswear designs were identified by a selection of descriptors. Fashion education and consciousness were found to be influential in respondents' perception on menswear design. In addition, perceptual mapping in terms of scale of design richness and scale of individuality and their relationship against purchase motivation was developed, which showed a significant linear correlation between the scale of design richness (SD) and the scale of individuality (SI). The contemporary menswear aesthetics studied were regarded as rich in design and individuality, and differentiated positioning was found among the aesthetics.

Paradoxes, Folds and Transgressions: Seeing Bernini with Neo-baroque Eyes

The affinity between contemporary aesthetics and the historical baroque has been pointed out by a number of scholars and theorists during the last few decades; some theorists have even proposed ne ...

Theorizing Hybridity and Identity: The “Edge-Effect” and “Dynamic Nucleus” in Bharatanatyam-Inspired Contemporary Dances of Two Choreographers

Dancer-choreographer Nova Bhattacharya uses the ecological term “edge-effect” to describe her experience within the choreographic process where her bharatanatyam training and her contemporary dance creativity overlap to create a lingua franca. Hari Krishnan, dancer-choreographer and scholar, describes his work as “constantly ruptured” within his “post-post-modern experience.” This paper argues that the creative processes underlying the respective contemporary dance-making practices of Nova Bhattacharya and Hari Krishnan are cultural ecosystems demonstrating the rich dynamic of the edge-effect at the intersection of bharatanatyam and contemporary dance aesthetics and themes. Within the edge-effect, both reception and rupture occur as artistic identities evolve. Furthermore, reception and rupture occur within the performance venue as the performers' and audiences' worlds overlap—another negotiated edge-effect. While the ecological metaphor of the edge-effect helps to conceptualize these interactive spaces, the sociological metaphor of a “dynamic nucleus” (Lloyd Wong) helps us to theorize the nature and energy of the critically reflective exchanges occurring, between contemporary and bharatanatyam sensibilities, in both the studio and concert theater. The edge-effect and dynamic nucleus metaphors build on Homi Bhaha's concept of the “cultural interstices” within which individual and communal identities are initiated and culture is located. Additionally, these metaphors expand on Guillermo Gômez-Peña's theory of “multihybrid identities, in a constant process of metamorphosis” as today's “border-culture” becomes tomorrow's institutional art. This paper provides dance scholars with a way of conceptualizing the energy of dance as a cultural force influencing experiences of hybridity and identity for performers and audiences within intercultural contexts.

Umetnost i estetika - tri skorašnje perspektive

The author sketches the development of the relationship between art and aesthetics in the recent past. As his starting point, he takes the position that artists established in the sixties in relation to philosophical aesthetics. In his view 1980 represented a historical threshold as concerns transformations both in art and its philosophy. He then discusses three theories of art and aesthetics - Nicolas Bourriaud's "relational aesthetics" from the nineties, Jacques Rancière's aesthetic project from the following decade, and the very recent "theory of contemporary art" developed by Terry Smith. In author's opinion, these three aesthetic or art theories not only disprove the pervasive opinion that contemporary aesthetics understood as philosophy of art is once more separated from contemporary art and the art world, but also manifest their factual import and impact in contemporary discussions on art.

La idea de lo tremendo

The author reflects on contemporary aesthetics, considering the ideas of the beautiful and the proper, besides the idea of aesthetics itself, from an introduction and discussion of the idea of the tremendous in Wittgenstein, according to which the aesthetical judgment is understood as an ethical judgment. Following this road, the article proposes, in order to allow a place for the spectator in the thought about the work of art, a place in which the judgement remains private and does not constitute an evaluation.

Guilty by Association?: Chueca Goitia's Stylistic Restorations under Franco's Dictatorship, 1953-75

The architect Fernando Chueca Goitia is a key figure in the practice of architectural restoration in Spain. His work exemplifies the state of the discipline between 1953 and 1975, a crucial span of time when many key monuments throughout the country were transformed. This article analyzes the main restoration projects Chueca carried out in his role as a conservation architect on monuments in Spain's Aragon, Basque, and Rioja regions. His story is emblematic of the difficulties faced by Spanish architectural restorers in these years; they faced monuments damaged either by war or lack of maintenance and were forced to choose between restoring decayed fabric from previous restorations (itself now of historical value) or creating a lost architectural unity in works many times previously restored. Chueca's work fell in the latter camp—then distinctly unfashionable—as he put his vast knowledge of history and restoration to use to retrieve the unity and architectural quality of the building in question, even if this led him to remove elements that would, in contemporary preservation aesthetics, now be considered as clearly historic.

New music and its myths: Athenaeus' reading of theAulosrevolution (Deipnosophistae14.616e–617f)

AbstractScholarship on the late fifth-century BC New Music Revolution has mostly relied on the evidence provided by Athenaeus, the pseudo-PlutarchDe musicaand a few other late sources. To this date, however, very little has been done to understand Athenaeus' own role in shaping our understanding of the musical culture of that period. This article argues that the historical context provided by Athenaeus in the section of theDeipnosophistaethat cites passages of Melanippides, Telestes and Pratinas on the mythology of theaulos(14.616e–617f) is not a credible reflection of the contemporary aesthetics and strategies of the authors and their works. Athenaeus is both following the structure of Aristotle's discussion of the topic of theaulosinPolitics8.1341a-1342b and accepting the élite ideological position given there. Athenaeus' text thus does not provide evidence for the historical context in which late fifth-century authors were composing, but rather constitutes an attempt to illustrate Aristotle's argument with poetic examples from late fifth-century poets.

Aesthetic tensions: evaluating outcomes for practice-led research and industry

This paper explores principles of contemporary aesthetics to suggest a basis for determining qualitative outcomes of artistic works in two contexts: the arts industry and the academy setting of practice-led research. Commonly articulated measures of quality—creativity and innovation—are questioned as mere rhetoric if not framed in specific ways in the two discrete settings. The paper also interrogates generally held assumptions that a longer time to develop work and greater periods of self-reflexivity will produce higher calibre artistic outcomes. The unease produced by apparent differences in qualitative outcomes between art works created in an industry setting and those created through practice-led research is analysed through three interconnected framing devices: intention, contextual parameters and criteria for evaluation, in conjunction with the relationships between the art work, the artist and the audience/viewer/listener. Common and differentiated criteria in the two contexts are explored, leading to the conclusion that innovation is more likely to be revealed in the end product in an industry context whereas in practice-led research it may be in the methodological processes of creating the work. While identifying and acknowledging that the two contexts encourage and produce distinctive qualitative artistic outcomes, both of value to the arts and the academy, the paper recommends ways in which closer formal liaison between industry artists and practice-led artists and supervisors might occur in order to ensure ongoing mutual influence and relevance.

The Question of Identity vis-à-vis Exoticism in Contemporary Iranian Art

This essay explores two primary concerns in the art and artistic practice of contemporary Iran, namely “identity” (i.e. local, historical, imagined and collective identity and also self-identity) and “exoticism” (which appears inevitably related to the first), both of which (identity and exoticism) involve challenges relating to the “self” and “other” and the issue of “expectation”. It suggests that these issues see broader contextual socio-political parallels. The first apprehension relates to the concept of identity which addresses how artists have interpreted contemporary aesthetics in the light of national and indigenous ideology. The second refers to the ever-present obsession with cultural and frequently social concern with which Iranian artists are engaged within the country. The two concerns are integrated, in the way that the second is seen to be the outcome of the first. Some critiques are based on the issues of cultural commodification, anti-canonical West, cultural formulation, and also the stereotypes rooted in the preference and interest of the market.

The Importance of Being Earnest about the Definition and Metaphysics of Art

the first place. But many are troubled by the nagging sense of failure that no mere dismissal seems able to dispel. We are still caught in the puzzles of Morris Weitz's extraordinarily disturbing early essay, The Role of Theory in Aesthetics, published in 1956, only a few years after the appearance of Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations (1953), on which, however inaccurately, it claims to depend.1 If Weitz's account is regarded as the original gauntlet analytic aesthetics took up so eagerly almost at onceagain, very close to its own beginnings: Beardsley's Aesthetics appeared in 1958it is equally plausible to credit Arthur Danto's immensely influential essay, The Artworld, published in 1964, with having confirmed (by the absence of explicit mention, so to say) the single most-discussed version of the great complication that baffled all efforts at defining art in accord with the new spirit of rigor that had just taken hold in analytic aesthetics. I mean, of course, the trauma produced by Duchamp's devilish jokes (especially the notorious Fountain) transfigured, in Danto's hands, into the sober metaphysics of Warhol's Brillo Box? A great swath of well-intentioned responses to the double challenge of Weitz's verdict and Danto's new turn fell over the philosophical cliff in an effort to get things right in accord with the seeming fashions of the day. They have engaged a large part of the energies of contemporary aesthetics for the last fifty or so yearsand they still do. Yet a small caution suggests that the puzzles thus confronted have yielded rather meager gains (at least of the mettle sought). Have we perhaps entrapped ourselves in unguarded readings of the errors we supposed we had uncovered in the various now-canonical summaries of the work of the

From Theoretical to Applied Environmental Aesthetics: Academic Aesthetics Meets Real-World Demands

I see two important turning points in environmental aesthetics. In a definitive article, ‘Contemporary aesthetics and the neglect of natural beauty’, R.W. Hepburn in 1966 laid out the field and its tasks; Harold Osborne demonstrated the problem of externality and its solution in his 1979 paper ‘An intellectual crisis in aesthetics’. Within this framework, a dynamic and innovative field of research has developed and grown, the future of which lies in the interaction between theory and practice and co-operation between the various parties involved.

Contemporary Art and Environmental Aesthetics

Aesthetic debates within contemporary art have been tangential to the debates in environmental aesthetics since the 1960s. I argue that these disciplines, having evolved separately in response to the limitations of traditional aesthetics, may now usefully inform each other. Firstly, the dematerialisation of art as the focus of aesthetic experience may have environmentally useful consequences. Secondly, Gablik's ‘connective aesthetics’, like Berleant's ‘aesthetics of engagement’, folds aesthetic experience into the social as a kind of environmental aesthetics. Thirdly, contemporary art's flexible readings of ‘framing’ can respond to ‘frameless’ natural environments, and finally, Kester's ‘dialogical aesthetics’ may be enriched by Berleant's systematic account of ‘contextual aesthetics’.

The Aesthetics of Daily Life

I explore and reflect on recent attempts to address the general neglect in contemporary aesthetics of the aesthetic character of everyday experiences. Contrasting approaches from Sherri Irvin and Yuriko Saito, I introduce a familiar Kantian distinction in order to express a prominent concern, and motivate what I take to be the most defensible approach to this relatively new area of discussion.

Arte contemporânea e educação

Hoje, é imperativo recolocar o tema da função da arte na educação, tanto nas instituições escolares como em atividades culturais de museus, institutos e fundações, tendo em vista a dificuldade de se manter a ideia de formação, derivada da Bildung, como fundamento de concepções e práticas educativas. Consideramos que o essencial é o acesso à experiência estética a partir do contato com a atitude e o trabalho dos artistas, portanto, como pensar e propor as mediações estratégicas para compatibilizar os dois termos da equação: educação e arte? Tanto se partimos das obras de arte tradicionais e modernas, como da generalização estética contemporânea – inclusive a determinada pela indústria da cultura e garantida pelo sistema e pelo consumo –, as propostas sobre a relação entre arte e educação, consensuais até pouco tempo, vinculadas ao ideal de formação, não satisfazem mais as expectativas de uma educação que enfrenta a heterogeneidade do saber, da sensibilidade e da experiência contemporânea. Desta maneira, os princípios do talento e da criatividade, até agora hegemônicos, que informavam sobre as concepções e práticas da arte na educação, demonstram-se insatisfatórios. Entretanto, ainda não está claro o que pode ser associado a eles para se superar as dificuldades atuais.

Rancière, Deleuze and contemporary film aesthetics

A groundbreaking work in the theorization of cinema, Gilles Deleuze's Cinema project embraces an original conceptual terminology in order to express the complexity of the world of moving images. A philosopher and cinephile, but avowedly not a film scholar, Deleuze offers an innovative philosophical approach to cinema's ability to reflect on our world as well as its ability to transform human modes of thought and expression. The film books (1983, 1985; trans. 1986, 1989) are an extraordinary attempt to see the cinema differently, through a Bergsonian–Nietzschean lens, and thus to learn from the cinema what it does and has done for twentieth-century thought – for philosophy, but also for art and political thought. From a similar passion for cinema and a devotion to the philosophy of art, Jacques Rancière works from Deleuze's general premise, taking the French philosophy of cinema in a direction founded upon a different set of theoretical principles. Engaging directly with Deleuze's work, Rancière seeks to historicize and to understand both the cinema in general, and Deleuze's work on the cinema. Although Deleuze did not live to engage in turn with Rancière's criticism, a critical dialogue between the two thinkers' works around the cinema would be a fertile example of the French philosophy of cinema, not only touching on philosophy's relationship to or use of the cinema, but also revealing, through the cinema, an ongoing debate in philosophy (admittedly, as old as Parmenides and the original questioning of the unity or multiplicity of substance).

Arte como ética. Por uma estética da produção. Breve reflexão spinozista.

Este ensaio propõe que haveria em Spinoza elementos para pensar uma estética da produção e questiona o privilégio quase absoluto das estéticas da recepção na atualidade. O texto defende que um retorno ao spinozismo, portanto a um momento anterior ao da fundação da estética como disciplina filosófica autônoma, pode ajudar a superar algumas das aporias da estética na contemporaneidade, tais como a que envolve a definição de arte e os limites e tarefas da crítica.