Philosophy of Painting: Ancient, Modern, Contemporary (Bloomsbury Aesthetics)

What can philosophy reveal about painting and how might it deepen our understanding of this enduring art form? Philosophy of Painting investigates the complex relationship between the painted surface and the depicted subject, opening up current debates to address questions concerning the historicality of art. Embracing contemporary painting, it examines topics such as the post-medium condition and the digital divide, and the work of artists such as Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Amy Sillman and Katharina Grosse. Illustrated with 24 colour plates and highly readable throughout, Philosophy of Painting provides a philosophically rigorous defence of the relevance of painting in the 21st century, making an original contribution to the major ideas informing painting as an art. Here is a clear and coherent account of the contemporary significance of painting and the pressures and possibilities that distinguish it from other art forms. "What can philosophy reveal about painting that might otherwise remain hidden or obscure? Investigating the complex relationship between what a painting represents and the means by which it is represented, Philosophy and Painting introduces and opens up current debates and ideas. Now thoroughly updated, this 2nd edition includes an additional chapter on contemporary painting, examining the work of artists such as Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Amy Sillman, and Katharina Grosse, and coverage of topics including the post-medium condition and the digital divide. Remaining highly readable throughout, the book provides a philosophically rigorous defence of the relevance of painting in the 21st-century . It is the ideal starting point for anyone interested in the major ideas informing painting as an art. It covers: - How and why painting may be distinguished from other art forms. - The relationship between the painted surface and the depicted subject. - The "rules of representation" specific to painting. - The limits of formalism. - The most recent technological and artistic developments and their implications"-- Provided by publisher Cover Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents Illustrations Figures Preface to the Second Edition Acknowledgements 1 Philosophical Questions The Relevance of Philosophy The Practice of Painting A Preliminary Definition Two Requirements 2 A Window onto the World Art and Imitation Alberti’s On Painting Plato’s Theory of Mimesis Ideal Form and Sensory Knowledge 3 Surface and Subject Two Forms of Awareness Sustaining Illusion Ambiguity and Pictorial Representation Representational Seeing Strong Twofoldness 4 Resemblance and Denotation Pictorial Signs A Symbol Theory of Art Rules and Conventions Seeing and Reading 5 The Specifically Visual Relational Differences The Problem of Style Strong Revisionism A Logic of Depiction Fundamental Concepts of Art History The History of Vision 6 Modernism and the Avant-Garde The Limits of Formalism Greenberg’s Theory of Modernism Abstraction and the Easel Picture The Challenge of Photography 7 Contemporary Painting Approaching the Contemporary The Post-Medium Condition Confronting the Digital Divide The Two Spaces of Painting Notes Bibliography Index Plates