Ideas about Art - Paperback

by Kathleen K. Desmond (Author)

Ideas About Art is an intelligent, accessible introductory text for students interested in learning how to think about aesthetics.

It uses stories drawn from the experiences of individuals involved in the arts as a means of exposing readers to the philosophies, theories, and arguments that shape and drive visual art.

• An accessible, story-driven introduction to aesthetic theory and philosophy
• Prompts readers to develop independent ideas about aesthetics; this is a guide on how to think, not what to think
• Includes discussions of non-western, contemporary, and discipline-specific theories
• Examines a range of art-based dilemmas across a wide variety of disciplines -- from art and design and law to visual and museum studies

Back Jacket

"Ideas About Art provides enough information to establish a foundation for discussion, thankfully with utter lack of intellectual posturing or jargon, and spurs further research. It is readable and culturally balanced; conversational even in the most intellectually challenging passages."
--Michele Fricke, Professor of Art History, Kansas City Art Institute

"There is nothing quite like this text in the field. I especially appreciate that it is not formulaic like some other texts and that readers can hang their own choices of artists off of these ideas."
--Elizabeth Garber, Professor of Art, University of Arizona

Ideas About Art is intended for art-interested students who want to expand the scope of their knowledge beyond Western art and aesthetics. The volume is comprised of short chapters that offer concrete stories, real-life experiences, and contemporary aesthetic dilemmas that enable readers to explore a range of non-Western aesthetics - beauty and expression, ethics, economics, political art, censorship, feminism, postmodernism, and discipline-specific theories in photography, design, and aesthetic education.

Author Biography

KATHLEEN K. DESMOND is Professor of Art & Design and Byler Distinguished Faculty at the University of Central Missouri. An award-winning teacher and scholar, Desmond teaches art appreciation, aesthetics, art criticism, and art theory. Her articles about contemporary art and artists and college art learning are published in Art Journal, Art Education, Aesthetics On-line, Review, Dialogue, and New Art Examiner. Past Chair of the College Art Association's Education Committee, Desmond conducted conference sessions that yielded data supporting this text.