But Is It Art?: An Introduction to Art Theory

254 Pages·2002·1.98 MB·English

by  Cynthia Freeland

But is it art?
An introduction to art theory
Cynthia Freeland is Professor of Philosophy at the University
of Houston. She has published on topics in the philosophy
of art and film, ancient Greek philosophy, and feminist
theory. She is also author of The Naked and the Undead:
Evil and the Appeal of Horror (1999) and co-editor of
Philosophy and Film (1995).
‘So many of the questions that define us as a culture have
been raised through and by the art of recent decades, that
without coming to terms with our art, we can scarcely
understand ourselves. Cynthia Freeland has written a very
smart book, in which high philosophical intelligence is
applied by a contemporary sensibility to difficult questions
raised by real works of art. It immediately situates the reader
where thought and action meet, and since the issues are
inescapable, it should be required reading for everyone. I
know of no work that moves so swiftly and with so sure a
footing through the battle zones of art and society today.’
Arthur C. Danto, Columbia University
‘Chapters on gender, money and the marketplace, and on
the uses and abuses of “primitive” motifs in contemporary
art making are models of judicious clarity.’
Publisher’s Weekly
‘highly informative ... Freeland’s study is clearly and
enthusiastically written’
Gerald Cipriani, Journal of Art and Design Education
‘a vibrant study of a complex and contentious field of artistic
endeavour and enquiry ... lucid, incisive, and thought-
provoking.’
Murray Smith, University of Kent
‘Freeland provides a unique and inclusive view of the past by
discussing it from the vantage point of contemporary art.’
Lucy R. Lippard, author of Mixed Blessings:
New Art in a Multicultural America
‘the court of Louis XIV, aboriginal tourist art, and the digital
revolution ... Freeland has managed to distil theories of art,
the history of aesthetics, and a selected tour of art history
into a brief and eminently informative text’
Carolyn W. Korsmeyer, State University of New York
‘a lively, eminently readable and remarkably wide ranging
discussion of issues germane to the field of contemporary
art. ... A delight.’
Eleanor Heartney, author of Critical Condition:
American Culture at the Crossroads
COVER ILLUSTRATION: Painter William Conger created ‘Crossfire Cow’ for the
summer1999 Chicago public art display CowParade. This exhibition, a successor of
CULTURE IN ACTION in 1993 (discussed in Chapter 4 of this book) was the most
successful public art program in the city’s history. More than 300 life-sized fiberglass
cows were individually decorated by recognized and outsider artists, then displayed
around the city. Many were later sold in a ‘cattle auction’ with proceeds going to
charity (to the tune of $3.4 million). Artist Conger, a Chicago-area painter and art
professor, has explained that he made his cow both in fun and as a serious work with
art historical references. His title alludes to the ‘crossfire’ in modernist and post-
modernist art criticism and theory. Originating in Zurich and then moving to
America with the successful Chicago installation, CowParade has gone on to
become a franchise, with parades in New York, Houston, and other cities; Cow-
Parade London was postponed in summer 2001 due to sensitivities concerning the
Foot and Mouth epidemic.
But is it art?
an introduction to art theory
Cynthia Freeland
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Great Clarendon Street, Oxford ox2 6dp
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© Cynthia Freeland 2001
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Database right Oxford University Press (maker)
First published 2001
First published as an Oxford University Press paperback 2002
Also available in paperback as Art Theory: A Very Short Introduction
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To Herbert Garelick
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Acknowledgements
Deepest thanks to people who read and commented on
the entire manuscript: Oxford’s‘Reader3’ (unveiled as
Murray Smith), Jennifer McMahon, Mary McDonough,
and my parents, Alan and Betty Freeland. Carolyn
Korsmeyer made valuable suggestions, and Kristi
Gedeon was a research assistant beyond compare—
cheery, resourceful, a packhorse for heavy books!
Thanks to others for generous help with the text
or illustrations: Robert Wicks, Nora Laos, Weihong
Kronfied, Sheryl Wilhite Garcia, Jeannette Dixon, Eric
McIntyre, Lynne Brown, Rose Lange, Anne Jacobson,
William Austin, Justin Leiber, and Amy Ione. My
husband, Krist Bender, supplied technical assistance
and artistic opinions. I am much indebted to Oxford’s
capable editor, Shelley Cox. Heartfelt appreciation to
the guinea pigs for this text, my students in Philosophy
1361—you made a bigger difference than you suspect.
A more indefinite thanks for their stimulating influence
to my friends in the exciting art world of Houston. I
dedicate this book to my first professor of aesthetics,
Herbert Garelick, of Michigan State University.
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Contents
Colour plates xi
Black and white illustrations xiii
Introduction xvii
1 Blood and beauty 1
2 Paradigms and purposes 30
3 Cultural crossings 60
4 Money, markets, museums 90
5 Gender, genius, and Guerrilla Girls 122
6 Cognition, creation, comprehension 148
7 Digitizing and disseminating 177
Conclusion 206
References 210
Further reading 217
Index 222
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