"The book's strength is its concise and straightforward deciphering of a variety of representations in
a dense manner."
--Choice, May 2000
Routledge Publishing Web Site, February, 2002
Summary
Philosophy of Art is a textbook for undergraduate students interested in the topic of philosophical aesthetics.
It aims to introduce the techniques of analytic philosophy in addition to a selection of the major topics in this
field of inquiry. These include the representational theory of art, formalism, neo-formalism, aesthetic theories
of art, neo-Wittgensteinism, the Institutional Theory of Art, as well as historical approaches to the nature of
art. Throughout the book, abstract philosophical theories are illustrated by examples of both traditional and contemporary
art, thereby enriching the readers understanding of art theory as well as the appreciation of art.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
1. ART AND REPRESENTATION
Part I: Art as Representation
Part II: What Is Representation?
2. ART AND EXPRESSION
Part I: Art as Expression
Part II: Theories of Expression
3. ART AND FORM
Part I: Art as Form
Part II: What Is Artistic Form?
4. ART AND AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE
Part I: Aesthetic Theories of Art
Part II: The Aesthetic Dimension
5. ART, DEFINITION AND IDENTIFICATION
Part I: Against Definition
Part II: Two Contemporary Definitions of Art
Part III: Identifying Art
