Arte contemporânea: o estado da arte entre a objetivação e a subjetivação

Abstract

This thesis discusses how the artistic value of a piece is treated by art critics and theoreticians and how their respective understanding reflect the content of their theories. The main hypothesis I explore is that one might observe an evolving and a chronological developmentof the understanding one has of art, starting with an objective view moving towards a subjective view of art. In this evolving path, values are formed and transformed. In order to demonstrate that, I seek to, first, demarcate three main currents of art theory, namely the theory of imitation, the aesthetic theories, and the institutional theories. Next I discus the concept of value, seeking to identify, in the philosophic field, the conceptual presuppositions that dictate the valuing of art work in different periods. I also deal with the approaches that philosophy of science bring to art. Then I examine what the art criticism and theory has to say about the matter, with reference to the objective and subjective theories. To clarify the development of the notion of value formulated in the hypothesis, I introduce the discussion of appropriation and reproducibility in art, and then examine the rise of photography to the artworld and the conceptual and theoretical questions posed by conservation and restoration, ending, thus, the contemporary view of art. I then make some final considerations in the conclusion.