Art Theory Introduction to Aesthetics Online Short Course

This online short course explores the theory behind aesthetics, considering philosophical and thought-provoking concepts on the subject. This course is a great way to look at art in a new light.

Topics Covered

• The ideas of Plato and his attitude towards the arts; why were artists excluded from his ideal republic? Can art convey genuine knowledge, or is it deceptive?
• What role does imitation play in the arts? Is it ever possible to create something entirely new?
• The enlightenment aesthetics of Winckelmann and Lessing; what makes an artwork beautiful? How should artists achieve beauty in their works?
• What are the fundamental differences between the arts, such as poetry and painting? Does one have an advantage over the other?
• What role does expression play in the arts? How has expression been defined historically?
• The modernity of Baudelaire and the Futurists; what is modern art? What does it mean to be modern, and how does an artist do it? Is it important that art is always new?
• What relationship should artists have to the past? Should we reject the art of the past, or build on it?
• The critical perspectives of Theodor Adorno and Walter Benjamin. What is popular culture? Why is it so often defined against fine art?
• What effect do mass production and media have on the arts? In an age of photography and printing, what importance does the ‘original’ artwork have?
• Clement Greenberg’s division between avant-garde and kitsch. Why are they opposed? What does it mean to be avant-garde?
• Is kitsch necessarily a bad thing? How have artists responded to kitsch in their work? Is the divide between ‘high’ and ‘low’ art as simple as we think?
• …And much more