Adoro's Aesthetic Theory

Art can be interpreted in varying ways. One could take the Kantian approach by placing special importance on art’s autonomy, while proclaiming that art prescribes to its own set of self-created maxims. These maxims facilitate the creation of normative idea of art, where excellent is determined by how well it meets arts self-created maxims. Therefore the Mona Lisa is only a good painting because it greatly conforms to the maxims of the art normative. Another approach would be the Hegelian interpretation that states that art is the “highest human vocation.” In this way art shows humanity normative of human existence in a way that shows the worthiness of human society. However, there is a problem with both sets of interpretation—they associated with the Enlightenment. This problem proves to be a fatal flaw, and only with a mixture of both is it possible to fully ascertain art. It was using this method that Theodore Adorno’s philosophy was able to accomplish art in its fullest.

Theodore Adorno (1903-1969) was a German philosopher, literary critic, and social theorist. He was an influential member of the Frankfurt School, which developed the notion of critical theory. Critical Theory is a sociological based theory of interpretation. That held that attempts to comprehend “society as a dialectical entity.” It rejects the notion through empiricism a true interpretation of society can be found. Instead it suggests that any interpretation of society needs to be interdisciplinary, taking into account “economics, psychology, history and philosophy.” The Frankfurt school would employ Critical Theory within the scope of Marxist ideology. Seeing history as the story of changing modes of production, and society a place of class struggle bet...

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...rces:

Adorno, Theodor W. Aesthetic Theory. Reprint; 1970. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Universtiy of Minnesota Press, 1997.

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Bolaños, Paolo A. "The Critical Role of Art: Adorno Between Utopia and Dystopia ." KRITIKE 1, no. 1 (June 2007): 25-31.

Callaghan, Jennefer. Theodore Adorno . Spring 2000. http://english.emory.edu/Bahri/Adorno.html (accessed November 30, 2011).

Geuss, Raymond. "Art and Criticism in Adorno's Aesthetics ." European Journal of Philosophy (Black Well ) 6, no. 3 (1998 ): 297-317.

Surber, Jere Paul. Culture and Critique: An Introduction to the Critical Discourses of Cultureal Studies. Boulder , Colorado: Westview Press, 1998 .

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Unicorn Is Found (from the Unicorn Tapestries). 2000-2011. http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/search-the-collections/70007564 (accessed Novemeber 30, 2011).