7 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
American philosopher who developed the artworld theory — art is defined by its relationship to an institutional artworld — prompted by Andy Warhol's Brillo Box, and announced the end of art's historical narrative.
American philosopher of art who developed historically sensitive theories of musical ontology and aesthetic value, arguing that music is constitutively historical.
American philosopher and aesthetician who co-developed New Criticism's theoretical underpinnings and argued for the autonomy of the artwork from authorial intention and reader response.
American philosopher who developed a constructivist worldmaking view — there is no mind-independent world, only versions of it — and a symbol-theoretic account of art in Languages of Art.
American philosopher who is the most prolific contributor to analytic aesthetics — with work on the philosophy of film, horror, mass art, narrative, and art theory.
New Zealand philosopher who has written comprehensively on the philosophy of music and the ontology of artworks — arguing for a performance-type ontology of musical works.
Arthur Danto's philosophical theory of art arguing that artworks are distinguished from mere real things by being about something and embodying their meaning in a material vehicle — transfiguring commonplace objects into art.