Philosophy of Art & Aesthetics Books

New and Published Books

1. Meanings of Abstract Art

   Between Nature and Theory

   Edited by Paul Crowther, Isabel Wünsche

   Series: Routledge Advances in Art and Visual Studies

   Traditional art is based on conventions of resemblance between the work and that which it is a representation "of". Abstract art, in contrast, either adopts alternative modes of visual representation or reconfigures mimetic convention. This book explores the relation of abstract art to nature (...

   Published June 18th 2012 by Routledge
2. Aesthetics After Metaphysics

   From Mimesis to Metaphor

   By Miguel Beistegui

   Series: Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy

   This book focuses on a dimension of art which the philosophical tradition (from Plato to Hegel and even Adorno) has consistently overlooked, such was its commitment – explicit or implicit – to mimesis and the metaphysics of truth it presupposes. De Beistegui refers to this dimension, which unfolds...

   Published June 18th 2012 by Routledge
3. Fifty Key Texts in Art History

   Edited by Diana Newall, Grant Pooke

   Series: Routledge Key Guides

   Fifty Key Texts in Art History is an anthology of critical commentaries selected from the classical period to the late modern. It explores some of the central and emerging themes, issues and debates within Art History as an increasingly expansive and globalised discipline. It features an...

   Published February 12th 2012 by Routledge
4. Law and Art

   Justice, Ethics and Aesthetics

   Edited by Oren Ben-Dor

   In engaging with the full range of 'the arts', contributors to this volume consider the relationship between law, justice, the ethical and the aesthetic. Art continually informs the ethics of a legal theory concerned to address how theoretical abstractions and concrete oppressions overlook...

   Published June 26th 2011 by Routledge-Cavendish
5. Derrida for Architects

   By Richard Coyne

   Series: Thinkers for Architects

   Looking afresh at the implications of Jacques Derrida’s thinking for architecture, this book simplifies his ideas in a clear, concise way. Derrida‘s treatment of key philosophical texts has been labelled as "deconstruction," a term that resonates with architecture. Although his main focus is...

   Published March 20th 2011 by Routledge
6. Benjamin for Architects

   By Brian Elliott

   Series: Thinkers for Architects

   Walter Benjamin has become a decisive reference point for a whole range of critical disciplines, as he constructed a unique and provocative synthesis of aesthetics, politics and philosophy. Examining Benjamin’s contributions to cultural criticism in relation to the works of Max Ernst, Adolf Loos,...

   Published December 7th 2010 by Routledge
7. Bourdieu for Architects

   By Helena Webster

   Series: Thinkers for Architects

   Pierre Bourdieu is arguably one of the twentieth century’s greatest socio-philosophical thinkers and his writings have much to offer anyone interested in the ways that people value, consume and produce architecture. Bourdieu spent much of his life attempting to understand cultural consumption and...

   Published July 8th 2010 by Routledge
8. The Quest for Gentility in China

   Negotiations Beyond Gender and Class

   Edited by Daria Berg, Chloe Starr

   Series: Routledge Studies in the Modern History of Asia

   The quest for gentility has shaped Chinese civilization and the formation of culture in China until the present day. This book analyzes social aspirations and cultural practices in China from 1550 to 1999, showing how the notion of gentility has evolved and retained its relevance in China from late...

   Published May 11th 2009 by Routledge
9. On Criticism

   By Noel Carroll

   Series: Thinking in Action

   In a recent poll of practicing art critics, 75 percent reported that rendering judgments on artworks was the least significant aspect of their job. This is a troubling statistic for philosopher and critic Noel Carroll, who argues that that the proper task of the critic is not simply to...

   Published October 13th 2008 by Routledge
10. On Landscapes

    By Susan Herrington

    Series: Thinking in Action

    There is no escaping landscape: it's everywhere and part of everyone's life. Landscapes have received much less attention in aesthetics than those arts we can choose to ignore, such as painting or music – but they can tell us a lot about the ethical and aesthetic values of the societies...

    Published October 12th 2008 by Routledge