Artistic development

Jos De Mul

pp. 183-198

in: Wouter van Haaften, Michiel Korthals, Thomas Wren (eds), Philosophy of development, Berlin, Springer, 1997

Abstract

In chapter 10 we noticed that claims with regard to the aesthetic domain are not restricted to individual aesthetic development, but often concern collective developments, involving many individuals or generations. In this chapter we will deal with collective developments in the domain of art. In order to differentiate them from the developmental processes of individuals, we will call them artistic developments. Here, as in case of aesthetic developments, we distinguish between production (comprising artistic creation as well as the resulting work of art) and reception (comprising artistic interpretation, judgment, and criticism). These developments are themselves studied in various disciplines, such as the history of art, literature, or music; philosophical aesthetics; and the psychology and sociology of art. Because of the broad variety of art forms and their reception, development claims in this domain vary widely in object and scope. In this chapter we will focus mainly on collective developments in the production of the visual arts.