28488 - History of Philosophy (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The student is able to identify and clarify the main theoretical issues of the philosophical debate and will develop an understanding of the relevant authors and topics, making constant reference to the historical context. There will be a particular focus on the study of images (representations, metaphors, figures, etc.) through which philosophical problems have been thought. The primary texts will be accompanied by a reading list of secondary texts, by means of which the student can explore the plurality of historiographical interpretations of this theme.

Course contents

Three paintings for three philosophies:

Heidegger, Benjamin and Koselleck interpreters of van Gogh, Klee and Altdorfer

 

This course aims to reconstruct the way in which three protagonists of twentieth-century philosophical-historical thought (Martin Heidegger, Walter Benjamin and Reinhart Koselleck) philosophically interpreted three great pictorial works (respectively, A Pair of Shoes by van Gogh, Angelus Novus by Klee and The Battle of Alexander and Darius at Isso by Altdorfer).

Starting from the observation and technical study of the three paintings, which will also be conducted with art historians and visual arts scholars, we will analyze the way in which the three authors offer a philosophical interpretation of these works, aimed at proposing a specific theory on the origin of the work of art (Heidegger), a philosophy of history (Benjamin), and a theory of the philosophical temporality of the modern (Koselleck).

Particular attention will be paid to the role played by the visual arts - in this case, painting in particular - in the production of their philosophies (of art, of history, and of temporality).

 

Workshop

The course will include an integrative workshop on the development of van Gogh’s, Klee’s and Altdorfer’s work.  Partecipation is optional. 

Students who participate will be entitled to prepare only one, rather than two, critical texts for the final exam from those indicated at Point B of the reading list (one text on Koselleck, or one on Heidegger, or one on Benjamin).

 

Starting date: 20th March 2024

Wednesday 17:00 - 19:00, classroom Ferrero (via Barberia 4)

Thursday 15:00–17:00, classroom Secci (via Barberia 4)

Friday 15:00–17:00, classroom Secci (via Barberia 4)

 

Readings/Bibliography

A. Primary readings *:

(1) M. Heidegger, L'origine dell'opera d'arte, in Id., Sentieri interrotti, La Nuova Italia, Firenze 1968 (or in Sentieri erranti nella selva, Bompiani, Milano 2002; or in M. Venier (eds.), "L'origine dell'opera d'arte" di Heidegger e il problema della verità, Paravia, Torino 1995)

(2) W. Benjamin, Sul concetto di storia, in Id., Opere complete, vol. VII (Scritti 1938-40), Einaudi, Torino 2006, pp. 483-493 (or Tesi di filosofia della storia, in Angelus Novus. Saggi e frammenti, Einaudi, Torino 2014, pp. 75-86)

(3) R. Koselleck, Futuro passato. Per una semantica dei tempi storici, Clueb, Bologna 2007 (selected parts, in particolar: Il futuro passato agli inizi dell'età moderna)

 

* See Teaching Resources

B. Critical readings (two texts of your choise in group 1, 2 or 3) **:

 

•  GROUP 1 (one text on Van Gogh and one on Heidegger):

On van Gogh:

J. Rewald, Il Postimpressionismo. Da van Gogh a Gauguin, Sansoni, Firenze 1967

J. Leymarie, Van Gogh, Tisne, Paris 1951

R. de Leeuw, Van Gogh, Giunti, Firenze 1988

P. Lecaldano (a cura di), L'opera pittorica completa di van Gogh e i suoi nessi grafici, Rizzoli, Milano 1971

On Heidegger:

F. Volpi (a cura di), Guida a Heidegger: ermeneutica, fenomenologia, esistenzialismo, ontologia, teologia, estetica, etica, tecnica, nichilismo, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2005

G. Vattimo, Introduzione a Heidegger, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2001

M. Venier (a cura di), "L'origine dell'opera d'arte" di Heidegger e il problema della verità, Paravia, Torino 1995

G. Imbriano, Il lavoro e le cose. Saggio su Heidegger e l'economia, Quodlibet, Macerata 2019

  

• GROUP 2 (one text on Klee and one on Benjamin):

On Klee:

P. Klee, Extracts from Klee’s Diaries – Theoretical Writings, Parkstone, New York 2013

G. Di Giacomo, Introduzione a Klee, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2003

W. Grohmann, Paul Klee, Sansoni, Firenze 1954 (oppure Garzanti, Milano 1991)

A. Fonti, Paul Klee. Angeli 1913-1940, Franco Angeli, Milano 2005

On Benjamin:

B. Witte, Walter Benjamin. Introduzione alla vita e alle opere, Lucarini, Roma 1991

G. Scholem, Walter Benjamin e il suo angelo, Adelphi, Milano 1978

D. Gentili, Il tempo della storia. Le tesi sul concetto di storia di Walter Benjamin, Guida, Napoli 2002

A. Barale, La malinconia dell'immagine. Rappresentazione e significato in Walter Benjamin e Aby Warburg, Firenze University Press, Firenze 2009

 

• GROUP 3 (one text on Altdorfer and one on Koselleck):
  

On Altdorfer:

Ch. S. Wood, Albrecht Altdorfer and the origins of landscape, Chicago University Press 2014

F. Ficker, Altdorfer, Mondadori, Milano 1977

K. Martin, Die Alexanderschlacht von Albrecht Altdorfer, Bruckmann, München 1969

Th. Noll, Albrecht Altdorfer in seiner Zeit. Religiöse und profane Themen in der Kunst um 1500. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Berlin 2004

On Koselleck:

G. Imbriano, Le due modernità. Critica, crisi e utopia in Reinhart Koselleck, DeriveApprodi, Roma 2016

N. Olsen, History in the Plural. An Introduction to the work of Reinhart Koselleck, New York-Oxford 2012

C. Dutt, R. Laube (a cura di), Zwischen Sprache und Geschichte. Zum Werk Reinhart Kosellecks, Wallstein, Göttingen 2013

H. Joas, P. Vogt (a cura di), Begriffene Geschichte. Beiträge zum Werk Reinhart Kosellecks, Suhrkamp, Berlin 2011

 

** The students will make a choice between groups 1, 2 or 3, deciding which pair of authors [Heidegger-van Gogh; Benjamin-Klee; Koselleck-Altdorfer] deepen. Within the chosen group, he will read one text about the artist and one about the respective interpreter.

Students who participate will be entitled to prepare only one text about the interpreter (Heidegger, Koselleck, or Benjamin).

                                              °°°°°

Optional activity

Students who want to deepen the history of twentieth-century philosophy, can refer to one of these handbooks:

Lucio Cortella, La filosofia contemporanea. Dal paradigma soggettivista a quello linguistico, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2020

Fabio Cioffi et al., Il testo filosofico, Mondadori, Milano 1992 e seguenti

Mario Dal Pra, Sommario di storia della filosofia, La Nuova Italia, Firenze 1987

 

Students who want to deepen the art history, can refer to this handbook: Arte nel tempo (3 voll.), a cura di Pierluigi De Vecchi e Elda Cerchiari Necchi (Sansoni, Milano 2020)

                                                 °°°°°

The programme is the same both for attending and not attending students.

 

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures with discussions in class of the most crucial issues

Assessment methods

The final oral exam focuses on the programme’s material and will be held in Professor Imbriano’s office: via Barberia, 4.

The student will be examined on their knowledge of fundamental concepts, their level of analysis and critical skills.

On the basis of these three principal parameters an overall evaluation is expressed out of a total of 30.

Evaluation of level:

18-21 Low/Sufficient

22-25 Medium

26-28 Good/very good

29-30 High

30 L Excellent

Teaching tools

Traditional lectures with the support of Power Point

Office hours

See the website of Gennaro Imbriano