06488 - History of Aesthetics

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students are able to know the main areas of aesthetic historiography, in relation to different orientations, first of all as regards aesthetics in modern and contemporary age, considering also the development of philosophical reflection on art from classical antiquity up to the Enlightenment. They must have acquired the basic knowledge related to the history of aesthetics understood as the philosophy of art and be able to recognize the aesthetic value of poetics and critical reflections that have been developed since antiquity. They must also know how to use survey methods that will enable them to analyze, according to a philosophical interpretation key, the complexity of the relationships involved in the definition of the aesthetic object and artistic object.

Course contents

Course title: Language and Properties in Twentieth-Century Aesthetics.

The relationship between language and aesthetic properties has been a topic investigated throughout the 20th century from different angles. In particular, on the one hand phenomenology and pragmatism have approached the problem starting from experience, while on the other hand analytic philosophy has made its theoretical efforts revolve tightly around the linguistic phenomenon, starting from the analysis of the aesthetic judgment understood as an element of art criticism's language. The contrast and gap between these two opposing directions have become more evident since the middle of the century, with a succession of emergences and submergences of one tradition or the other up to the most recent contemporaneity.

Topic of the course will be the theoretical premises that have guided such comparison between rival approaches following the question of aesthetic properties.

The course will be divided into two parts (corresponding to two modules of 30 hours each).

The first part, corresponding to History of Aesthetics (1), taught by Prof. Matteucci, will start from phenomenology, especially considered from the perspective of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, followed by the alternative development that some themes relevant to it have had in the framework of analytic thought, first and foremost with Frank Sibley, Richard Wollheim and Jerrold Levinson.

In the second part, corresponding to History of Aesthetics (2), taught by Prof. Iannilli, the point of departure will be pragmatism, and in particular John Dewey's contribution, which will be related to subsequent attempts, of an analytical matrix, to account for the relationship between language and properties, and in particular those carried out by Ernst Gombrich, Arthur C. Danto and Nelson Goodman.

As part of the course there will be a workshop activity, organized in collaboration with the almæsthetics research center. It will be based on specific analyses of some of the texts included in the syllabus, which will be carried out with the active participation of attending students. The modalities for conducting this activity will be illustrated at the beginning of the course.

Readings/Bibliography

Part 1: History of Aesthetics (1) (Giovanni Matteucci)

• M. Merleau-Ponty, Conversazioni, SE, Milano, 2020.
• P. Kobau, G. Matteucci, S. Velotti (a cura di), Estetica e filosofia analitica, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2007, pp. 177-206 e 235-276 (ossia i saggi di Frank Sibley, Jerrold Levinson e Richard Wollheim).

 

Part 2: History of Aesthetics (2) (Gioia Laura Iannilli)

• J. Dewey, Arte come esperienza, Aesthetica, Sesto San Giovanni, 2020, capp. 5 e 6 (“L’oggetto espressivo” e “Sostanza e forma”), pp. 101-144.
  
• A.C. Danto, La trasfigurazione del banale, capp. 2 e 7 (“Contenuto e causazione” e “Metafora, espressione e stile”) pp. 41-65 e 201-254.
• N. Goodman, “Lo statuto dello stile”, in Id., Vedere e costruire il mondo, Laterza, Roma, 2008, pp. 27-47.
• N. Goodman, C.Z. Elgin, “Interpretazione e identità: può l’opera sopravvivere al mondo?”, in Idd., Ripensamenti in filosofia, altre arti e scienze, et al. Edizioni, Milano, 2011, pp. 54-71.

 

Furthermore, for non-attending students:

• G. Matteucci, Il sensibile rimosso, Mimesis, Milano-Udine, 2015, cap. 6 (“La questione delle proprietà estetiche”), pp. 109-137.

 

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures, workshops, and classroom presentations by students.

Assessment methods

The examination may be taken in one of the following modes.

1) Written paper:

6 cfu exam: 10-page paper (approximately 30.000 characters, footnotes and bibliography included) on a transversal theme addressed in the texts indicated in the bibliography;

12 cfu exam: 15-page paper (about 45.000 characters, footnotes and bibliography included) on a transversal theme addressed in the texts indicated in the bibliography.

n.b.:

- It is possible to propose alternative topics that compare one or more texts indicated in the bibliography with authors or aesthetic phenomena of specific interest to the student; in this case the topic must be agreed upon in advance with the teacher.

- The paper must be sent in pdf format to the teacher at least one week before the exam (registration is required on Almaesami).

2) Oral examination:

The assessment will concentrate particularly on the skill displayed by the student in handling the material in the exam bibliography and his/her ability to find and use information and examples to illustrate and correlate the various themes and problems addressed in the course.

The assessment will thus examine the student's:

- factual knowledge of the subject;
- ability to summarise and analyse themes and concepts;
- familiarity with the terminology associated with the subject and his ability to use it effectively.

Top marks will be awarded to a student displaying an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the material and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology.

Average marks will be awarded to a student who has memorized the main points of the material and is able to summarise them satisfactorily and provide an effective critical commentary, while failing to display a complete command of the appropriate terminology.

A student will be deemed to have failed the exam if he/she displays significant errors in his/her understanding and failure to grasp the overall outlines of the subject, together with a poor command of the appropriate terminology.

 

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

 Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders have the right to special accommodations according to their condition, following an assessment by the Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact the teacher but get in touch with the Service directly to schedule an appointment. It will be the responsibility of the Service to determine the appropriate adaptations. For more information, visit the page:

https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

Teaching tools

We will use power point slides concerning course's texts and topics.

Office hours

See the website of Giovanni Matteucci

See the website of Gioia Laura Iannilli