Kunsttheorie

For the first time, this book presents a comprehensive overview of art theory in a single volume: from Aristotle and Plato to Hegel and Heidegger, and up to Walter Benjamin, Susan Sontag, and the controversies surrounding documenta fifteen. Hubert Locher impressively illustrates how art has been reflected upon and written about over the centuries.

Art theory, which is the critical reflection on art, has its foundation in ancient Greece. However, the history of art theory as a theory of the visual arts only begins in the Early Modern period with significant figures like Leon Battista Alberti and Albrecht Dürer. With the early art criticism of the 18th century and the addressing of a broader audience, the discussion takes a new direction that further unfolds at the threshold of modernity, as artists' manifestos emerge and an abstract, philosophical-scientific discourse begins. In the second half of the 20th century, the political dimension of art is addressed, among others, by Theodor W. Adorno and a new critical theory. This comprehensive panorama of diverse positions, theories, and ways of thinking is set to become the standard work for anyone engaged with art.