Art Philosophy

Author: Wang Defeng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: In the human life system, art occupies a very important position, and it is hard to imagine what a world without art would look like. However, art is also mysterious; it always resists theoretical explanations and the establishment of rules, causing various aesthetics in history to repeatedly face dilemmas. This book advocates for progress from aesthetics to the philosophy of art, focusing on the core issue of the "existence of the artwork" to reconsider the essential connection between art and human life; it opposes viewing art as merely a decorative or entertaining element accompanying human reality, or as a tool for achieving other social values. The fundamental viewpoint of this book is: the enterprise of art is the enterprise of truth. As a philosophical reflection on art, this book discusses six fundamental questions about art. They are: the relationship between art and truth, the mode of existence of artworks, the basic types of aesthetic imagery, the creation of the artist and artworks, the reception of artworks, and the perceptual characteristics of the five major categories of art. These six discussions largely constitute the basic fields of inquiry in the philosophy of art. The philosophy of art is the ideological foundation for aesthetic education in a nation and an important prerequisite for conducting valuable art criticism. This book provides a basic ideological framework for young art enthusiasts to appreciate, understand, and contemplate art.