Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
What does philosophy reveal about painting? Unraveling the complex relationship between what a painting represents and the means by which it is represented, Jason Gaiger shows how we can use philosophy to look and think about painting.
Packed with examples from history and informed by aesthetic theories from art historians and critics, this is an ideal starting point for anyone interested in the major ideas informing painting as an art. Moving from Plato to Modernism and the Avant Garde, Gaiger walks us through:
- The relationship between the painted surface and the depicted subject
- The rules of representation specific to painting
- How and why painting may be distinguished from other art forms.
He examines the work of contemporary artists including Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Amy Sillman, and Katharina Grosse and covers philosophers such as Richard Wollheim and Nelson Goodman, giving equal space to critics Leon Battista Alberti, E.M. Gombrich and Clement Greenberg.
Accompanied by 24 colour images and incorporating some of the most recent technological and artistic developments, this is more than an introduction to philosophy and painting: it is a rigorous defence of the relevance of painting in the 21st-century.
Synopsis
What can philosophy reveal about painting and how might it deepen our understanding of this enduring art form? Philosophy and 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. Covering 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.
Highly readable throughout, the book 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. Illustrated with 24 colour plates, it provides a clear and coherent account of the contemporary significance of painting and the pressures and possibilities that distinguish it from other art forms.