Art and Posthistory: Conversations on the End of Aesthetics (Columbia Themes in Philosophy, Social Criticism, and the Arts)

From the 1990s until just before his death, the legendary art critic and philosopher Arthur C. Danto carried out extended conversations about contemporary art with the prominent Italian critic Demetrio Paparoni. Their discussions ranged widely over a vast range of topics, from American pop art and minimalism to abstraction and appropriationism. Yet they continually returned to the concepts at the core of Danto's thinking—posthistory and the end of aesthetics—provocative notions that to this day shape questions about the meaning and future of contemporary art. __Art and Posthistory__ presents these rich dialogues and correspondence, testifying to the ongoing importance of Danto's ideas. It offers readers the opportunity to experience the intellectual excitement of Danto in person, speculating in a freewheeling yet erudite style. Danto and Paparoni discuss figures such as Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp, Franz Kline, Sean Scully, Clement Greenberg, Cindy Sherman, and Wang Guangyi, offering both insightful comments on individual works and sweeping observations about wider issues. On occasion, the artist Mimmo Paladino and the philosopher Mario Perniola join the conversation, enlivening the discussion and adding their own perspectives. The book also features an introductory essay by Paparoni that provides lucid analysis of Danto's thinking, emphasizing where the two disagree as well as what they learned from each other. Des années 1990 jusqu'à la veille de sa mort, le légendaire critique d'art et philosophe Arthur C. Danto a mené de longues conversations sur l'art contemporain avec l'éminent critique italien Demetrio Paparoni. Leurs discussions ont porté sur un large éventail de sujets, du pop art américain et du minimalisme à l'abstraction et à l'appropriation. Pourtant, ils revenaient sans cesse sur les concepts au cœur de la pensée de Danto - la posthistoire et la fin de l'esthétique - des notions provocantes qui, jusqu'à aujourd'hui, façonnent les questions sur la signification et l'avenir de l'art contemporain. Art and Posthistory présente ces riches dialogues et correspondances, témoignant de l'importance continue des idées de Danto. Il offre aux lecteurs l'opportunité de vivre l'excitation intellectuelle de Danto en personne, spéculant dans un style libre mais érudit. Danto et Paparoni discutent de personnalités telles qu'Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp, Franz Kline, Sean Scully, Clement Greenberg, Cindy Sherman et Wang Guangyi, offrant à la fois des commentaires perspicaces sur des œuvres individuelles et des observations générales sur des questions plus vastes. À l'occasion, l'artiste Mimmo Paladino et le philosophe Mario Perniola se joignent à la conversation, animant le débat et ajoutant leurs propres perspectives. Le livre comprend également un essai introductif de Paparoni qui analyse avec lucidité la pensée de Danto, soulignant les points de désaccord entre les deux hommes ainsi que ce qu'ils ont appris l'un de l'autre From the 1990s until just before his death, the legendary artcritic and philosopher Arthur C. Danto carried out extendedconversations about contemporary art with the prominent Italiancritic Demetrio Paparoni. Their discussions ranged widely over avast range of topics, from American pop art and minimalism toabstraction and appropriationism. Yet they continually returned tothe concepts at the core of Danto's thinking-posthistory and theend of aesthetics-provocative notions that to this day shapequestions about the meaning and future of contemporary art. Artand Posthistory presents these rich dialogues andcorrespondence, testifying to the ongoing importance of Danto'sideas. It offers readers the opportunity to experience theintellectual excitement of Danto in person, speculating in afreewheeling yet erudite style. Danto and Paparoni discuss figuressuch as Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp, Franz Kline, Sean Scully,Clement Greenberg, Cindy Sherman, and Wang Guangyi, offering bothinsightful comments on individual works and sweeping observationsabout wider issues. On occasion, the artist Mimmo Paladino and thephilosopher Mario Perniola join the conversation, enlivening thediscussion and adding their own perspectives. The book alsofeatures an introductory essay by Paparoni that provides lucidanalysis of Danto's thinking, emphasizing where the two disagree aswell as what they learned from each other "From 1995 until just before his death, Arthur C. Danto engaged in and recorded frequent conversations with prominent Italian philosopher and art critic Demetrio Paparoni. Their talks ranged widely over topics from American Pop Art to Minimalism, from abstraction to appropriationism, from posthistorical art to the end of aesthetics, revealing the central core of Danto's thought on topics that shaped and continue to shape questions about the meaning and future of contemporary art. The text is very rich: in one paragraph, for example, Danto talks about a Franz Kline exhibition in the context of Richard Diebenkorn, the radically different techniques used for the paintings and drawings, and the mechanical processes Kline used that enlisted the participation of an animator or colorist as indicative of the lack of importance he gave to the idea of individual artist as creator. The book reveals the intellectual excitement of Danto in person, speculating in a freewheeling rather than analytical style. On several occasions Danto and Paparoni were joined by Danto's partner Barbara Westman, an artist and illustrator credited with many New Yorker covers, and by artist Mimmo Paladino and philosopher Mario Perniola, enlivening the discussion further"-- Provided by publisher