Detail from Jozef Israëls, 'Fishermen carrying a Drowned Man', probably 1861
Part of our series of courses, thinking about art: Philosophical approaches to art history.
In this final session, alongside Vid Simoniti, we will trace the philosophical question of art’s political content. We take in Plato's banishment of the artist from his ideal state, to the place of art in political modernity, with the work of philosophers such as Theodor Adorno, Walter Benjamin, and W.E.B. Du Bois.
You will be invited to draw connections between historical works and selected examples from the 21st century, while reflecting on ideas such as artistic objectivity, activism, and the place of art in a democratic society. This will equip you with a new critical lens through which to study the Gallery’s collection, and connect art of the past to art of the present day.