The Philosophy Book

296

T

he British philosopher of

art, Richard Wollheim,

believes that we should

resist the tendency to see art as

an abstract idea that needs to be

analyzed and explained. If we are

to fully understand art, he believes,

we must always define it in relation

to its social context. By describing

art as a “form of life”, in Art and

its Objects (1968), he uses a term

coined by the Austrian-born

philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein

to describe the nature of language.

For Wittgenstein, language is a

“form of life”, because the way we

use it is always a reflection of our

individual experiences, habits, and

skills. He is attempting to resist the

tendency of philosophy to make

simplistic generalizations about

language and instead is pointing to

the many different roles language

plays in our lives.

Social setting

Wollheim is making the same point

as Wittgenstein, but in relation to

works of art. Artists, he states, are

conditioned by their context—their

beliefs, histories, emotional

dispositions, physical needs,

and communities—and the world

that they interpret is a world of

constant change. For Wollheim, one

implication of this is that there can

be no general “artistic impulse” or

instinct for the creation of art

that is totally independent of the

institutions in which it operates. ■

IN CONTEXT

BRANCH

Aesthetics

APPROACH

Analytic philosophy

BEFORE

c.380 BCE Plato’s Republic

explores the relationship

between art forms and

political institutions.

1953 Ludwig Wittgenstein’s

Philosophical Investigations

introduces and explores his

concept of “forms of life.”

1964 Arthur Danto publishes

his philosophical essay

The Artworld, which analyzes

artistic endeavor from an

institutional viewpoint.

AFTER

1969 American philosopher

George Dickie develops further

the institutional theory of

artistic creativity in his

essay Defining Art.

ART IS A

FORM OF LIFE

RICHARD WOLLHEIM (1923–2003)

What we consider art may depend

on the context in which we view it.

Andy Warhol’s 32 Campbell’s Soup

Cans creates fine art from images

usually associated with commerce.

See also: Plato 50–55 ■ Ludwig Wittgenstein 246–51