Aesthetics

Oxford Readers

by Susan Feagin (Editor), Patrick Maynard (Editor)

Can we ever claim to understand a work of art or be objective about it? Why have cultures thought it important to separate out a group of objects and call them art? What does aesthetics contribute to our understanding of the natural landscape? Are the concepts of art and the aesthetic elitist? Addressing these and other issues in aesthetics, this important new Oxford Reader includes articles by authors ranging from Aristotle and Xie-He to Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, Michael Baxandall, and Susan Sontag. It focuses on why art and a variety of aesthetics matter to us, and on how perceivers participate in and contribute to the experience of appreciating a work of art. With its multicultural and multidisciplinary scope, this volume shows how anthropology, art history, Chinese theories of painting, and other perspectives both enrich and provide alternatives to classic philosophical accounts of art and the aesthetic.

Genres: Philosophy, Art, Nonfiction

418 pages, Paperback

First published November 27, 1997

Reviews

[Chels · Rating 5 out of 5]

The authors did an amazing job of compiling an awesome collection of perspectives on the subject, while also pulling them together in comprehensive themes. Some of the philosophies are a little dry to read, but others make up for that.

[briz · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly stimulating collection of essays, exploring the philosophy of art from a variety of angles. A couple of very fun essays include the philosophy/analysis of humor, and of music. Read this in one sitting (well, I was stuck on a flight). Marvelous.

[Jonathon Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've used this book for my Philosophy of Art class a few times, and I'm always pleased with the quality of selections. It is the best of its kind that I have found - I especially like that it include Cohen's essay on Jokes, which is a topic I always find interesting to discuss.

[Lobstergirl]

I bought this book because I liked the cover. (That 'footed conical bowl'.) I've read two of the 57 essays inside. Oh well, maybe one day.

[Daniel Michalak · Rating 1 out of 5]

An introductory text to the philosophical study of aesthetics comprising selections from a wide variety of sources.