Reviews for Schriften und Nachlass

The average rating for Schriften und Nachlass based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-03-27 00:00:00 Adrienne Mayberry My first contact with Matthew Kieran, philosopher of art and Curator at the Tate in London, was listening to a podcast interview on the subject of Art, Censorship and Morality. Kieran was asked if a work can be both pornographic and art. Kieran's answer was `yes' and elaborated on how the same artwork can have multiple purposes; for example, religious icons can be used both for prayer and for art. And the same can be true, he continued, for some works of pornography, since artistic intention is tied up with the presentation of a work as pornography, that is, the art can't be separated from the explicit erotic, sexual content. Likewise, this same line of thinking holds true in the case of propaganda, since propaganda can have artistic merits. One could almost hear the interviewer gasp. Kieran went on to explain how the morally problematic can be precisely why art has such power and is provocative. The interviewer countered with several objections on moral grounds but Kieran would have none of it. Art, he explained, should be taken seriously since we expand our vision via our exposure to problematic areas of life. Good and great art forces us to engage with the world and find out about ourselves. If we removed all the art in the Tate that was morally objectionable, we would be left with 75% bare walls. Oh, my goodness, I thought, now here is a philosopher and art expert worth exploring! I purchased a copy of his book, "Revealing Art," and started underlining like crazy. This book ranges from subjects like originality, beauty and artistic insight to morality and modern humanism. To do all these stimulating topics justice, I would have to write not a review but a lengthy essay. So, in the interest of space and to provide a brief sampling, I will cite several quotes from the first chapter, "Originality and Artistic Expression" and offer a brief commentary: "If an artist creates a work which consists in the development of a unique style or which manifests individual artistic vision, then it constitutes an artistic achievement, and the work is of value, irrespective of whether anyone gets to see it or not." --------- With this statement Kieran puts forward the dignity of the creative process and artistic creation - artistic achievement needs no viewer to have value. Let me give a personal example: Last summer I created a piece of conceptual art that occupies the midpoint between a Zen garden and an abstract painting of Mondrian. Applying the idea contained in this Matthew Kieran quote, if my art were to be viewed by thousands in a world-class museum or simply shared with friends does not alter one whit the originality of my vision or the degree of my artistic achievement. "Any view which reduces the value of all art to the disposition to afford us rewarding experiences still can't capture how and why we value certain kinds of works." ---------- Kieran eschews any aesthetic theory or view of art restricting the full range of art's meaning and power. This quote is a case in point: the value of an artwork cannot be reduced to providing an occasion for rewarding experiences. Can you imagine someone thinking they have exhausted the artistic dimensions of the Parthenon by the various rewarding experiences they had during a trip to Athens? Or, thinking the sum of all human rewarding experiences throughout history will exhaust the artistic dimensions? Reflecting on the early cubist works of Picasso and Braque, Kiernan writes: "Yet though the visual experience of some such works may be relatively anemic, these works are to be highly valued, for their interest lies more in the intellectual, artistic feat achieved." ---------- The author understands the work is much more than what is contained on the canvas (or other medium); rather, we have to appreciate the entire intellectual, cultural, historical, social context in which the art is created. "The critical point here is that, unless one is concerned with what Mondrian was striving to capture and express in his artistic development, one will fail to understand and properly appreciate his art. A mere concern just with the experiences Mondrian's work may happen to give rise to would occlude the very nature of his abstract work." ---------- Likewise, the author knows the artist's development and life and vision must be incorporated into our viewing a great work of art lest our viewing be incomplete. The greatness of Michelangelo's Pieta also lies in its expression of a particularly profound understanding of Mary's own sacrifice, which naturally gives rise to similar sentiments in us toward her. Thus it cannot just be the value of the experience afforded that we value, it must also be the understanding Michelangelo distinctively expresses through the work." ---------- And yet again, the author wants us to consider how the artwork can very well be a representation of something greater than the work itself, and how the work can also express a power that is both emotional and even spiritual. Kieran's "Revealing Art" is most impressive. With great facility the author presents the philosophies of art from Plato, Hume and Kant as well as articulating the thinking of modern aestheticians Arthur Danto, George Dickie, Monroe Beardsley, Roger Scruton and others. Even art critics such as Robert Hughes are included. Of course, there are specific references to dozens of artists as well as comments on full-color plates of works by, among others, Poussin, Michelangelo, Munch, Klimt, Bacon, Matisse. Link to the Podcast with Matthiew Kieran:

Review # 2 was written on 2014-06-08 00:00:00 Joshua Jones This work is divided into three parts: Metaphysics, Ethics and Aesthetics, and Studies in American Philosophy. The section on ethics was by far my favorite--mostly because each chapter presupposes a wealth of philosophical background on the part of the reader, and since I'm most well-versed in ethics it was much easier there to follow the lines of thought. Most appreciated is Putnam's rejection of the fact/value distinction. However, the other two sections weren't as great. The section on metaphysics worked to make me realize that I care less about the realism/anti-realism debate than I thought I did. Although, it may have just been his style that did that. Putnam spends a lot of time here philosophizing about philosophy, and his tone vacillates between arrogant and a tiresome brand of intellectual exceptionism. He's adamant about a rejection of a correspondence theory of truth, but, I confess, that's the only position that's ever made any sort of possible sense to me. Studies in American Philosophy deals with specific philosophers--mostly William James, Quine, and Pierce. James is an interesting figure, but Putnam places much more stock in his philosophy than I ever could. Quine is given a long-winded treatment, and Putnam's reliance on terminology from a variety of other writers whose work I'm unfamiliar with made his discussion difficult to grasp. Peirce's chapter is mostly a history of logic, and the vindication of Pierce's position in history, but it was not something I found myself too excited about. I guess I would say only about half of this thing I actually enjoyed reading.