Aesthetic and Artistic Autonomy [Paperback]

Whether art can be wholly autonomous has been repeatedly challenged in the modern history of aesthetics. In this collection of specially-commissioned chapters, a team of experts discuss the extent to which art can be explained purely in terms of aesthetic categories.

Covering examples from Philosophy, Music and Art History and drawing on continental and analytic sources, this volume clarifies the relationship between artworks and extra-aesthetic considerations, including historic, cultural or economic factors. It presents a comprehensive overview of the question
of aesthetic autonomy, exploring its relevance to both philosophy and the comprehension of specific artworks themselves. By closely examining how the creation of artworks, and our judgements of these artworks, relate to society and history, Aesthetic and Artistic Autonomy provides an insightful and sustained discussion of a major question in aesthetic philosophy.

Notes on Contributors \ Introduction Owen Hulatt \1. The Transcendental Economy of Aesthetic Experience Andy Hamilton & Richard Stopford \ 2. Aesthetic Autonomy and Artistic Heteronomy Robert Stecker \ 3.The Artwork and the Promesse du Bonheur in Adorno's Aesthetics Gordon Finlayson \ 4. Political Embeddedness and Artistic Autonomy: Jacques-Louis David as a Test Case Peter Lamarque \ 5.
The Concept of Autonomy in the Visual Arts: A Conflict of Values Jason Gaiger \ 6. Indifferent to Intentions: The Autonomy of Artistic Meaning Paul Crowther \ 7. Aesthetic Autonomy and Identifying Non-Western Art Anneliese Monsere \ 8. Conclusion Casey Haskins \ Index