CONTEMPORARY ART AS A PHILOSOPHICAL PROBLEM: CONCEPT AND HISTORICAL-PHILOSOPHICAL NARRATIVES IN THE ART WORLD

Abstract

This article aims to analyse contemporary art as a philosophical problem, focusing on the concepts and historical-philosophical narratives that shape its position within the world of contemporary art. Over the last century, innovative forms of ‘art’ have emerged, in which the aesthetic concept has become subjective and problematic in relation to the materials used to create a work of art. The main focus of this study is on art and related artistic concepts, which, whilst distinct, differ in scope: one is more restricted and confined to the history of art, comprising works by artists exhibited in art institutions; the other is broader, as it treats art as a set of creative activities present in any human culture. Thus, contemporary art can be understood as a field where artistic practice and philosophical reflection intersect. Its importance lies not only in the works produced, but also in the questions they raise concerning perception, representation, authorship, interpretation and the historical conditions that determine the existence of art. From this perspective, philosophers have developed distinct theories and concepts; however, Arthur Danto defines himself as a philosopher of art who seeks the narrow concept of art, whilst Vilém Flusser is a thinker concerned with the broad concept of art – a theory related to the dual possibility of the dimension capable of distinguishing between cognitive rationality and poetics in the interrelation between art and aesthetics. For Plato and Aristotle, the appropriation of contemporary art establishes interpretation, expression and the way in which each conceives of its role in society.