AESTHETICS

In the framework of the Master's Degree in Arts Management, the course aims to prompt 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.

Knowledge and understanding: knowledge of the topics covered in the course, independent self-orientation within the bibliography, critical awareness in using the fundamental concepts introduced in the course.
Applied knowledge and understanding: to recognize and use the notion of essentialism/antiessentialism in art, to discuss the concept of interpretation in art, to critically understand the relationships between the individual and society in art.
Making judgments: The course aims to provide the tools for a critical consideration of the relationships and dynamics between artistic practices and social reality.
At the end of the course, students should acquire adequate communication skills to discuss investigated topics, as well as to formulate independent assessments providing sustainable reasons.

The course does not require any specific prerequisites. However, even a superficial knowledge of the trends that have emerged in the arts between the 20th and 21st centuries can be helpful in gaining a deeper understanding of some readings listed in the bibliography.

The course aims to study some contemporary approaches to the philosophy of art through the analysis of a single concept, that of the medium. This notion will be examined in various contexts of use, pertaining to philosophy, art criticism as well as visual culture studies. In this way, a history of the concept between the 20th and 21st centuries will be outlined.
Two themes will emerge during the course. On one hand, the difference between autonomistic and heteronomistic conceptions of art will be highlighted; on the other hand, the role played by the spread of the internet in the development of contemporary visual culture and the hypermedia society in which we live will be analyzed. In the first part of the course, Clement Greenberg's formalist art criticism will be contrasted with Richard Wollheim's analytical philosophy of art; the second part of the lessons will be dedicated to the post-media condition of art described by Rosalind Krauss, the notion of meta-medium formulated by Lev Manovich, and the processes of remediation and relocation of media as framed by Jay Bolter, Ray Grusin, and Francesco Casetti.

The bibliography will be provided at the beginning of the course and via the Moodle platform.

Oral exam. From a list provided by the professor, each student will be invited to propose a personalized bibliography based on their own interests. Students must submit their proposed bibliography to the professor via email by the end of the course. The student’s selection might be integrated with additional readings.

Frontal lessons and reading of the texts.
Discussions in class on specific topics

English

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development