Aesthetic Theory, Abstract Art and Lawrence Carroll

Aesthetic Theory, Abstract Art and Lawrence Carroll explores the philosophical implications of the practice of art making, illustrating the intricate relationship between aesthetic theory and contemporary art through the work of the abstract painter, Lawrence Carroll.

Beginning with a historical discussion of the critics and philosophers Clement Greenberg, Michael Fried, Arthur Danto and Joachim Pissarro, David Carrier compares and contrasts their philosophical writings on painting. He considers why questions about aesthetics and the essence of a painting generated philosophical disagreements. Traditionally philosophers tell us what painting is-and art critics then identify those paintings that are good paintings. While Fried argues that the two questions became one, Danto broadens the enquiry from the essence of painting to the essence of visual art, explaining that aesthetics tell us what art is, and art criticism, what is good art.

Carrier applies his analysis of these aesthetic theories to Carroll, showing how the artist's employment of varied pictorial formats and refusal to adapt imagery from popular culture affects the essence of painting. Confronting essentialism in aesthetics from a very different direction, Carroll challenges traditional definitions of paintings and underlines his significance as a subject for the philosophy of art.