Philosophy of Art: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy) [Paperback]

Noël Carroll (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 22, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0415159644 | ISBN-13: 978-0415159647 | Edition: annotated edition

Philosophy of Art is a textbook for undergraduate students interested in the topic of philosophical aesthetics.
It introduces the techniques of analytic philosophy as well as key topics such as 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, abstract philosophical theories are illustrated by examples of both traditional and contemporary art including frequent reference to the avant-garde in this way enriching the readers understanding of art theory as well as the appreciation of art.
Unique features of the textbook are:
* chapter summaries
* summaries of major theories of art and suggested analyses of the important categories used when talking and thinking of art
* annotated suggested readings at the ends of chapters.

Also available in this series:
Epistemology Pb: 0-415-13043-3: £12.99
Ethics Pb: 0-415-15625-4: £11.99
Metaphysics Pb: 0-415-14034-X: £12.99
Philosophy of Mind Pb: 0-415-13060-3: £11.99
Philosophy of Religion Pb: 0-415-13214-2: £12.99

Editorial Reviews

Review

The book's strength is its concise and straightforward deciphering of a variety of representations in a dense manner.
–Choice, May 2000

About the Author

Noel Carroll is the Monroe C. Beardsley Professor of the Philosophy of Art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is currently also President of the American Society for Aesthetics and has been a documentary screenwriter and a journalist. Other books include, The Philosophy of Horror (Routledge, 1990) and A Philosophy of Mass Art (1998).

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; annotated edition edition (October 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415159644
• ISBN-13: 978-0415159647
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #601,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Introduction, March 16, 2008

By 

Bookworm 90 "Curieux professionnel" (France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philosophy of Art: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy) (Paperback)

For the past few years, I've been looking for a good introduction to the philosophy of art. Noël Carroll provides this missing book.

There are several guides, companions and anthologies. But none of them was able to provide me with a clear and elegant tool to tackle this subject. This lack of a reference manual is specifically acute in my own country, France, as the aesthetics analytic tradition is not part of the basic Philosophy curriculum.

Most books in the field are focusing on the philosophy works of Goodman, Danto and Cavell. I do see why an academic would consider these works to be crucial to the understanding of contemporary aesthetics discussions. But my impression is that the mention of these authors only turns off students.

Mr. Carroll's books focuses on very basic problems and on one basic question: what is art about? Is it about representation? Or expression? Or form? - This choice of simplicity makes this book the only available introduction to a very exciting field.

I do not think the book requires any philosophy background - so it could also be of a great interest for a wider audience.

The only thing I miss is a more comprehensive discussion of the question of "intention", as it is the problem that surfaces during most discussions on aesthetics issues. I guess the author had to keep the book short and focused.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An attempt at an analytical definition of 'art', April 30, 2009

By 

Curtis Von Gunten (OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philosophy of Art: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy) (Paperback)

This book is primarily concerned with figuring out what makes an object a work of art. The strategy adopted here attempts to find necessary and sufficient conditions which an object must satisfy in order for it to properly be called a work of art. Carroll considers several different traditions which offer answers to this question. Most of the book proceeds by way of finding counterexamples to the proposed definition. While engaging, this book won't be very congenial for philosophers who deny a definitional view of concepts or who deny analyticity. If you are one of these, the project will be doomed to failure at the outset. He does consider family resemblence, but quickly dismisses it. However, you may find value in the later chapters, which consider whether pure fiat confers art-status on an object. Good intro though with plentiful references to works of art.

18 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beach Reading, August 20, 2002

By 

VPerry_co_dutchess - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philosophy of Art: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy) (Hardcover)

This is what I packed to the lake this summer. The suspense of following art thinking from verisimitude to conceptualism. The romance of potent examples from the history of art! The tragedy of the Fall of the aesthetic enterprise. The hope of uncovering the as-yet unsolved mysteries in defining a work of Art. All told with, if not humor, at least honsety.