Abstract
I explore the interrelations between the ontological and aesthetic issues raised by ready-mades such as Duchamp's Fountain. I outline a hylomorphic metaphysics which has two central features. First, hylomorphically complex objects have matter to which they are not identical. Secondly, when such objects are artefacts (including artworks), it is essential to them that they are the products of creative work on their matter. Against this background, I suggest that ready-mades are of aesthetic interest because they pose a dilemma. Is there really an object, a sculpture, that is distinct from its matter, a urinal, which object is created merely by the artist's choice of the urinal? Or are we dealing with a case in which an artist passes off something, a urinal, as if it were a sculpture, even though it is not one?
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 407-423 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | British Journal of Aesthetics |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 2013 |
Fingerprint
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Philosophy
Cite this
Ready-mades : Ontology and aesthetics. / Evnine, Simon.
In: British Journal of Aesthetics, Vol. 53, No. 4, 10.2013, p. 407-423.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Ready-mades
T2 - Ontology and aesthetics
AU - Evnine, Simon
PY - 2013/10
Y1 - 2013/10
N2 - I explore the interrelations between the ontological and aesthetic issues raised by ready-mades such as Duchamp's Fountain. I outline a hylomorphic metaphysics which has two central features. First, hylomorphically complex objects have matter to which they are not identical. Secondly, when such objects are artefacts (including artworks), it is essential to them that they are the products of creative work on their matter. Against this background, I suggest that ready-mades are of aesthetic interest because they pose a dilemma. Is there really an object, a sculpture, that is distinct from its matter, a urinal, which object is created merely by the artist's choice of the urinal? Or are we dealing with a case in which an artist passes off something, a urinal, as if it were a sculpture, even though it is not one?
AB - I explore the interrelations between the ontological and aesthetic issues raised by ready-mades such as Duchamp's Fountain. I outline a hylomorphic metaphysics which has two central features. First, hylomorphically complex objects have matter to which they are not identical. Secondly, when such objects are artefacts (including artworks), it is essential to them that they are the products of creative work on their matter. Against this background, I suggest that ready-mades are of aesthetic interest because they pose a dilemma. Is there really an object, a sculpture, that is distinct from its matter, a urinal, which object is created merely by the artist's choice of the urinal? Or are we dealing with a case in which an artist passes off something, a urinal, as if it were a sculpture, even though it is not one?
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84890896763&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84890896763&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/aesthj/ayt033
DO - 10.1093/aesthj/ayt033
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84890896763
VL - 53
SP - 407
EP - 423
JO - British Journal of Aesthetics
JF - British Journal of Aesthetics
SN - 0007-0904
IS - 4
ER -