Art After Philosophy and After: Collected Writing, 1966-1990

by Joseph Kosuth, Jean-François Lyotard (Foreword), Gabriele Guercio (Editor)

Joseph Kosuth's writings, like his installations, assert that art begins where mere physicality ends. The articles, statements, and interviews collected here, produced over a period of 24 years, range over philosophy of language, anthropology, Marxism, and linguistics to discover the common principles that inform representation while negotiating the complex debates about art.

Genres: Art, Philosophy

332 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[rafaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

ainda nem acabei de ler mas…. não há mas. acho que este texto era tudo o que eu andava à procura sem se quer o saber. até hoje. joseph kosuth perdoa-me por ter olhado para o one and three chairs no ccb e me ter apetecido cuspir no chão em frente a ele em sinal de desagrado. não sabia na altura que ias mudar drasticamente a minha percepção e entendimento da arte. és um génio. beijos. continua.
delfim sardo obrigada por me recomendares este livro. também és um génio. um dia quero ser e falar como tu. beijos da rua melo gouveia.

[Mcd74 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotive, pertinent to getting an insight into conceptual-thinking & art theory of the late 20th Century.

[Lucy Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated by conceptual art, so why not read a book by one of conceptual art's most prominent pioneers?

Including his essay Art After Philosophy, this book is a collection of Joseph Kosuth's writings on a variety of topics related to conceptual art. In his writing, Kosuth proposes that conceptual works of art are analytic propositions that self-asserts that they are art; they must hence present an artist's intention ("why"), not just form and content ("how") and therefore, conceptual artwork is not only supposed to be aesthetically valuable, but also add to what art is. This is why he referenced the quote "if someone calls it art, it's art." Kosuth also believes that artists should assume the role as an "anthropologist." Because conceptual artists present and utilize their intentions in an artwork instead of just illustrate form and technique, they end up analyzing their own thoughts, or essentially their own culture. This was considered similar to how an anthropologist analyzes other cultures. The author was against Modernism, Minimalism, and the way art markets promoted pure form, so he believed that artists should defend the meaning of their art. He also believed that institutional art schools were actually political, because by teaching certain content they believe is relevant to art education, they are unconsciously defining what "art" is and what an artist should know and do, as opposed to letting students choose to define art themselves, like how conceptual art proposes to do.

This was a very profound exploration of conceptual art and its philosophical implications. People can neglect the rich analysis that can stem from art; too often, technique and aesthetic value are prioritized by artists and art critics, especially in art classes, and while I do believe that anyone who finds learning the technical aspects of art to be useful is entitled to learning those technical aspects, I think that artists and audiences alike need to move beyond form and technique and start contemplating the nature and function of art. Art can help us pursue deep, analytical, and relevant inquiry, like what defines art? Why (not just how) was this work made? How does an artists intentions make a work of art more valuable? How does the visual integration of concepts within an artwork affect the viewer's experience? Is photorealism meaningless?

As Kosuth proposes in this collection, we should not just look at art; we should think about it.

Kosuth's narration was insightful, focused, and pertinent. While his artwork One and Three Chairs is probably the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of conceptual art, his writings, unfortunately, do not seem to be very widely read. His writing should definitely be referenced more in art discussions and analysis, as they contain relevant observations about the purpose, function, and meaning of art. His works show now just the pleasure and mere escapism of art, but also the analysis and philosophy it can be conducive to. I enjoyed how Kosuth expanded the definition of conceptual art to analyze its anthropological, philosophical, and linguistic implications. While I do wish more images, clarification, and examples of the modernist and formalist art he was disproving were added and more explanation about the artistic movements he referred to was added, I find this book to be highly relevant to today's discussions about art.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very essential for conceptual artists