This course looks at the reciprocal relationship between Western art and philosophy. Artists are often been inspired by the thinkers of their time and philosophers have reflected on the meaning and function of art in society. Spiritualism, Orientalism, Feminism and Psychoanalysis have exerted influence of Western artists such as Dali, Ingres, Carrington, Kandinsky and the Guerrilla Girls. We will ask: What is a work of art? Does art have an ethical dimension? How does art hold a mirror to contemporary society? How is the meaning of art determined by its social and historical context?
- Harrison, Charles & Wood, Paul (2003). Art in theory, 1900-2000 an anthology of changing ideas (New ed). Malden, MA Blackwell Pub.
- D'Alleva, Anne (2004). Methods & Theories of Art History, London, Laurence King.
- Charlesworth, Max (2015). Philosophy for Beginners. University of Queensland Press, Saint Lucia
- Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/index.html
- An introduction to aesthetic theories from Plato to the Enlightenment: the Power of Classicism.
- Interpretation v. Immersion. Heidegger and the Origin of the Work of Art in dialogue with Sontag’s Against Interpretation. Works by Van Gogh, Magritte, Sherman
- Spiritualism and Psychoanalysis. Kandinsky’s own philosophy of Spiritualism, Art and Music, the intimate relationship between Freud and Surrealism. Works by the Delaunays, Klee, Giacometti, Carrington.
- Art in the ‘Factory’: Walter Benjamin and Art as Reproduction. Beginning with the seminal ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’, we discuss the aura of the artwork and the importance of originality into the digital age. Works by Hockney, Warhol, Reihani.
- Levels of Reality: Foucault, Word and Image. Art as language looking at Wittgenstein and Foucault. Works by Magritte, Kruger, Holzer.
- The Nude and the Other. Via a survey of the Nude, this session brings in Feminism, Orientalism and Post Colonialism to analyse Titian, Ingres, Manet, Picasso and the Guerilla Girls.
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Discuss a range of philosophical ideas and how they relate to art
- Understand the reciprocal relationship between art and philosophy across different genres and mediums.
- Critically engage with a range of broader questions about the ethical dimensions of art and its importance in society.
