For some decades, judging has been considered in bad taste, a symptom of being out of touch with contemporary thinking. In recent years, however, aesthetic judgment has won new respect: not only in philosophical aesthetics – philosophy could not really be uninterested in judgment –, but also in some internationally trendy art journals and publications. Steinberg was adamant about the role of aesthetic appreciation and value judgments: «Art is cherished, or it does not survive. A succession of value judgments, embodied in acts of neglect or preservation, largely determines what we receive from the past». But what is more relevant in Steinberg’s thought and practice is the exercise of a judgment which cannot rely on definitive criteria, on criteria that can be made explicit and used at will as tools for interpreting. This essay aims at clarifying what the concept of judgment meant to Steinberg, not only in relation to contemporary art (here, in particular, with reference to artists as diverse as Jasper Johns and Hans Haacke), but also to Kant’s aesthetic judgment and Hannah Arendt’s issue of «thinking without a bannister».

"In the absence of available standards": Leo Steinberg on judgment / Velotti, Stefano. - (2022), pp. 255-267.

"In the absence of available standards": Leo Steinberg on judgment

Stefano Velotti
2022

Abstract

For some decades, judging has been considered in bad taste, a symptom of being out of touch with contemporary thinking. In recent years, however, aesthetic judgment has won new respect: not only in philosophical aesthetics – philosophy could not really be uninterested in judgment –, but also in some internationally trendy art journals and publications. Steinberg was adamant about the role of aesthetic appreciation and value judgments: «Art is cherished, or it does not survive. A succession of value judgments, embodied in acts of neglect or preservation, largely determines what we receive from the past». But what is more relevant in Steinberg’s thought and practice is the exercise of a judgment which cannot rely on definitive criteria, on criteria that can be made explicit and used at will as tools for interpreting. This essay aims at clarifying what the concept of judgment meant to Steinberg, not only in relation to contemporary art (here, in particular, with reference to artists as diverse as Jasper Johns and Hans Haacke), but also to Kant’s aesthetic judgment and Hannah Arendt’s issue of «thinking without a bannister».
2022
Leo Steinberg Now. Il pensiero attraverso gli occhi
9788885795402
Leo Steinberg; aesthetic judgment; aesthetic criteria; Jasper Johns; Hans Haacke; Hannah Arendt; Immanuel Kant and aesthetics
02 Pubblicazione su volume::02a Capitolo o Articolo
"In the absence of available standards": Leo Steinberg on judgment / Velotti, Stefano. - (2022), pp. 255-267.
File allegati a questo prodotto
File Dimensione Formato  
Velotti_In-the-absence_2022.pdf

solo gestori archivio

Tipologia: Documento in Post-print (versione successiva alla peer review e accettata per la pubblicazione)
Licenza: Tutti i diritti riservati (All rights reserved)
Dimensione 79.71 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
79.71 kB Adobe PDF   Contatta l'autore
Velotti_Copertina-indice-In-the-absence_2022.pdf

accesso aperto

Note: copertina e indice
Tipologia: Versione editoriale (versione pubblicata con il layout dell'editore)
Licenza: Tutti i diritti riservati (All rights reserved)
Dimensione 557.95 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
557.95 kB Adobe PDF

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1670981
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact