Introduction to the Philosophy of the Visual Image / Part 2

The course will focus on the evolution of the main concepts used for understanding and evaluation of the visual image in general and art in particular. The course will open with a discussion of the nature of Classicism as an era and an artistic style, as it evolved from the aesthetic thought of Aristotle. We will then get acquainted with additional aesthetic concepts of the 18th century, namely, that of taste, the beautiful, and the sublime. We will then move to explore the Romantic turn of the 19th century, postulating the artist’s originality and creativity as the highest aesthetic value. Following that, we will track the main developments in aesthetic thought from the late 19th century up to the second half of the 20th century. In that context, we will explore the aesthetic thought of Nietzsche, Derrida, and others.