On Costello’s Aesthetics after modernism

This remarkable book by Diarmuid Costello can be divided into a pars destruens and a pars construens. The pars destruens is an excellent critical survey of the conceptual framework underlying the trajectory of Clement Greenberg and some of his followers and/or critics. Costello’s considerations on conceptual art (weak and strong non-perceptual art) and the analysis of case studies are also particularly enlightening. Regarding the pars construens, I fully support Costello’s approach of revisiting Kant’s aesthetic reflection, demonstrating its richness and adequacy as a framework for understanding artworks across all eras - including conceptual art and the diverse landscape of contemporary artistic practices. However, I find his strategy for executing this project unconvincing. My objections center on two key points: I. The distinction between free and dependent beauty. II. Aesthetic ideas and genius.