Abstract
The ethical criticism of art holds that the responses that a work prescribes to its audience are aesthetically relevant and that the aesthetic success of a work of art in part depends on whether those responses are “merited” and these “merits” include ethical ones. The ethicist thus holds that – to the extent that a work of art expresses an ethical attitude – this adds to the aesthetic value of the work. On the contrary, works that express unethical attitudes are - to that extent - aesthetically diminished. Putting aside the numerous criticisms of the ethical criticism of art in general, it is captivating to consider the expression of attitudes in images that are not explicitly representational. An extremely relevant case study is that of Mark Rothko: assuming that some of his early images appear life affirming and sociable, can these works still be ethically assessed even though they do not presuppose a determinant content? Likewise, as Rothko’s images darken before his suicide, can these images also be ethically assessed? This paper will explore these very complicated, but important, questions.
Presenters
Christopher TroganProfessor, Interdisciplinary Studies, New York University - Gallatin School of Individualized Study, New York, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Ethics, Aesthetics, Attitudes, Rothko
