by Cynthia A . Freeland (Author)
In the art world at the beginning of the 21st century many strange, even shocking, things qualify as art. In this book, Cynthia Freeland explains why innovation and controversy are valued in the arts, weaving together philosophy and art theory with many thought-provoking examples. She discusses blood, beauty, culture, money, museums, sex, and politics, clarifying contemporary and historical accounts of the nature, function, and interpretation of the arts. Freeland also propels us into the future by surveying state-of-the-art web sites, along with cutting-edge research on the brain's role in perceiving art. This book engages with the big debates surrounding our responses to art and should prove a useful introduction to anyone interested in thinking about art.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 208
Edition: First Edition
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 01 May 2001
ISBN 10: 0192100556
ISBN 13: 9780192100559
Profoundly refreshing and satisfying.... Freeland's energetic and engaging voice breezily guides the reader, while employing an astonishing array of examples to illuminate and activate her explications. --Don Bacigalupi, Director, San Diego Museum of Art
A vibrant study of a complex and contentious field of artistic endeavor and enquiry.... Lucid and thought-provoking. --Murray Smith, University of Kent
Freeland provides a unique and inclusive view of the past by discussing it from the vantage point of contemporary art. --Lucy R. Lippard, author of Mixed Blessings: New Art in a Multicultural America