AESTHETICS OF ARTS

In the framework of the Master's Degree in Arts Management, the course aims at prompting a critical confrontation with traditional aesthetic notions such as those of creativity, taste, aesthetic experience, interest/disinterest, detachment and distance in the appreciation of the arts and cultural consumption. It therefore intends to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of some major theoretical issues concerning these notions, as well as their historical and socio-cultural implications, with a particular focus on the contemporary scenario of visual culture studies.

During the oral exam students should be able to show their ability to master the multifarious aspects of the course’s subject matter, with regards to both the set texts and the slides commented on during classes.

Given its introductory nature, the course is particularly (though not exclusively) aimed at students with little or no prior knowledge of the history of Aesthetics. Nevertheless, a smattering of the third Kantian Critique will facilitate the easy comprehension of the subject.

The course will tackle the issue of mimesis and realism in terms of mimetism and hyper-realism, thus focussing on the problem of excessive similarity between the image and its referent, between the “copy” and its “model”. What if an image is not just similar to its referent, but rather perceptually indiscernible from it? What happens to the traditional aesthetic paradigm of the “as-if” when similarity turns into (alleged/putative?) identity? Starting from Husserl’s analysis of the difference between “perception” and “image consciousness”, we will address the issue of the ambiguous relationship between image, actual reality, and illusion. The theoretical notions acquired in the first part of the course will be then put to the test of hyperrealism, meant as a specific art movement, as well as of contemporary virtual immersive environments produced with the aid of the most recent image-making techniques.

• E. Husserl, selected book parts (provided during classes).
• G. Boehm, La svolta iconica, Meltemi 2009.
• K. Purgar, The Meaning of Hyperrealism today: Reality, Iconic Difference, and Perception of Hyper-Transparent Images, testo disponibile all'indirizzo:
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:2zt8PS5QVh0J:https://www.bib.irb.hr/961019/download/961019.Znaenje_hiperrealizma_danas.pdf+&cd=11&hl=it&ct=clnk&gl=ch
• P. Conte, In carne e cera. Estetica e fenomenologia dell’iperrealismo, Quodlibet 2015.

Non-attending students must add:
• O. Grau, Virtual Art, MIT Press 2003.

The learning objectives of the course will be tested through an oral exam, during which students should be able to show their ability to master the multifarious aspects of the course’s subject matter. Questions aim at evaluating whether students know and understand the main concepts of the course, and if they are able to link the various topics and issues that the course covers. They also are intended to test the students' ability in communicating the different positions with clarity and pertinence as well as critical awareness.

Frontal lessons with PPT slides.
Critical reading of the texts.

Italian