Wollheim on art's historicity: an intersection of theoretical art history and the philosophy of art

Berryman, J. (2023) Wollheim on art's historicity: an intersection of theoretical art history and the philosophy of art. British Journal of Aesthetics, (doi: 10.1093/aesthj/ayad024) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

Art and its Objects by Richard Wollheim had a major impact on aesthetics and the philosophy of art when it was first published in 1968. Of the arguments offered in response to Wollheim’s essay, Jerrold Levinson’s intentional-historical theory of art has been one of the most enduring. Levinson was influenced by three key sections of Wollheim’s enquiry: Section 40, which considers the claim that works of art fall under a concept of art, or that we are disposed to regard certain things as works of art; and Sections 60 and 61, which deal with art as a historical phenomenon, and problems arising from its identification and interpretation. To date, these claims have been raised as points of contention in the philosophy of art. This paper takes a different perspective. Wollheim’s understanding of art’s historicity draws explicitly on the literature of theoretical art history. Via Wollheim, old art-historical problems will reappear as new philosophical questions.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Berryman, Dr Jim
• Authors: Berryman, J.
• Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BH Aesthetics; N Fine Arts > N Visual arts (General) For photography, see TR
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Information Studies
• Journal Name: British Journal of Aesthetics
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• ISSN: 0007-0904
• ISSN (Online): 1468-2842
• Published Online: 12 November 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Author
• First Published: First published in British Journal of Aesthetics 2023
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence