Art and its Objects - Classic Text | Alexandria
Art and its Objects (1968), written by British philosopher Richard Wollheim (1923-2003), stands as a seminal text in philosophical aesthetics that revolutionized how we conceptualize and understand the nature of art. This influential work, initially delivered as the Andrew Mellon Lectures at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., presents a sophisticated analysis of art's ontological status and our perceptual engagement with artistic works.
First published during a period of intense philosophical debate about the nature of art and aesthetic experience, the text emerged at a crucial juncture when traditional aesthetic theories were being challenged by contemporary art practices and analytical philosophy. Wollheim's work offered a distinctive perspective that bridged continental and analytical philosophical traditions, while engaging critically with the prevailing formalist approaches of his time.
The book's central argument introduces the innovative concept of "seeing-in," which Wollheim developed to explain how we perceive and understand pictorial representation. This theory suggests that our experience of art involves a special kind of perceptual awareness that is fundamentally different from ordinary seeing. Through careful analysis of artistic perception, physical objects, and psychological responses, Wollheim challenges both the traditional mimetic theory of art and purely conventional accounts of representation.
The continuing influence of Art and its Objects extends far beyond its immediate historical context, shaping contemporary discussions in aesthetics, art theory, and cognitive science. Wollheim's insights about the relationship between physical objects and artistic meaning continue to inform debates about digital art, virtual reality, and the nature of aesthetic experience in the 21st century. His careful attention to the phenomenology of artistic experience and his emphasis on the role of the physical medium in artistic meaning remain particularly relevant as we grapple with questions about materiality and virtuality in contemporary art practices.
The text's enduring significance lies not only in its philosophical rigor but in its ability to illuminate fundamental questions about how we experience and understand art - questions that become increasingly pertinent as new forms of artistic expression emerge and traditional boundaries between different art forms continue to blur. What makes Wollheim's work particularly intriguing is its capacity to speak to both historical and contemporary concerns about the nature of art, consciousness, and human perception.