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Philosophy of art

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Photo of a derelict brick building with colourful graffiti on the wall broken windows and overgrown vegetation at dusk.

Painting and sculpture

idea

Works of urban graffiti are not vandalism, but public monuments

They might appear to have little in common with statues or obelisks, but graffiti images serve a vital public function

by Rafael Schacter

A marble figurine seated in a chair plays a harp

Music

idea

Ancient Greek ideas of attunement can breathe new life into music

In Athenian philosophy, attunement is important not only in music, but also for moods, attitudes and states of mind

by John Bagby

A painting of a man and woman holding hands indoors with a small dog at their feet. The room is richly decorated.

Philosophy of art

idea

To master the art of close looking, learn to hold time still

Visual literacy is a skillset that’s rarely taught, but it begins with learning how to look – and how to hold time still

by Grace Linden

Black and white photo of children dancing energetically in a studio, with a girl in the foreground expressing excitement.

Home

idea

How war destroys the childhood sense-scape we call ‘home’

What we grow up with determines the gestures, textures, spaces, sights, smells, sounds and thoughts we call ‘home’

by Julia F Christensen

Large projection of a painting’s cracked surface with a person standing in front, focusing on a close-up of a smiling mouth.

Philosophy of art

idea

Engaging with an artwork leaves you and the art transformed

When you engage with an artwork, a form of cognitive coupling takes place in which your mind and the art are transformed

by Miranda Anderson

Painting of hunters and dogs in snowy landscape with a village and ice skaters in the background, trees and hills visible.

Philosophy of art

idea

When art transports us, where do we actually go?

Artworks have the capacity to transport us into other worlds. But where exactly do we go when we are immersed in art?

by Harri Mäcklin

Charcoal drawing of a person writing at a desk with a focused expression and dramatic shading.

Memoir

idea

In defence of memoirs – a way to grip our story-shaped lives

Even the non-linear memoir creates meaning by shaping the hot mess of life into a narrative arc. What’s wrong with that?

by Helena de Bres

Etching of a man sitting on a milestone marked “Paris” with a broom, barren trees and distant houses in the background.

Painting and sculpture

idea

Looking at portraits with an eye to evolutionary psychology

Why our understanding of Jean-François Raffaëlli’s ‘Roadman’ portrait can use a little help from evolutionary psychology

by Dan Sperber

Black and white photo of a woman in a historic costume with a spear and shield posing in front of a painted forest backdrop.

Photography

idea

Why we love to play pretend in front of scenic backdrops

Zoom backgrounds have their roots in 19th-century portrait photography and say as much about the creation of the social self

by Kim Beil

Two women seen from behind seated on a bench viewing a large four-panel painting of a cloudy sky in an art gallery.

Beauty and aesthetics

idea

You can be aesthetically sensitive and know nothing about art

Aesthetic sensitivity is not about being correct in your judgments of beauty, but rather how much you’re affected by it

by Guido Corradi

Photo of carved wooden figures on a white background each with simple facial features and varying shapes and expressions.

Philosophy of art

idea

Archaeology excavates the layers of meaning we leave behind

Archaeologists make sense of the past by thinking about the intentional and the natural meanings of what they uncover

by Marilynn Johnson

Photo of a performer on stage wearing a vest and hat, posing energetically with a US flag draped on their back.

Beauty and aesthetics

idea

Debating Bon Jovi’s cheesiness will enrich your conceptual life

Aesthetic questions don’t have answers ‘out there’ in the world. We’re free to decide what’s a glitch or a sculpture, and why

by Elizabeth Cantalamessa