This outstanding collection of hitherto unpublished work, written
over the last fifteen years of the author's life, reveals the
development and maturation of his ideas about sociology and art,
and specifically about the relationship between them. Grafia sees
in the artistic traditions of Western society the sociological
sources of our sense of cultural form, as well as cultural and
intellectual meaning. He discusses theories of art and theories of
artists as they have changed over time, although the book is
neither a history of art nor a criticism of specific artistic
works. Rather, it is a defense of the sociology of art.Grafia
believes that the difficult and ambitious questions in the
sociology of art are not merely questions of the proper role or
status of the artist, or the recognition of art as an ornament,
perhaps the supreme ornament, of our culture. He believes that what
the sociologist must come to terms with is the view of art as the
representation, indeed the revelation of what is most telling and
pervasive in culture itself. This perspective assumes that the most
serious claims made for art are in fact inseparable from the unique
claims that are made about art. Art can make visible what is
implicit in our lives. Art can put before us a statement of what we
are but do not always recognize in oursleves. Art is the mask and
mimicry through which society gestures to us its ultimate and most
poignant meanings. Grafia contends that this vision of art derives
from Hegelian aesthetics, and he believes that this grand
view-whether one takes an idealist, a literary, or a
Marxist-materialist position-also implies a dramatically changed
conception of society itself.The essays cover a variety of
subjects, from Marx, museums, and modern literature, to Durkheim,
Daniel Bell, and bullfighting-the last being the apotheosis of
cultural expression rendered into artistic form. Throughout, Grafia
considers questions of the social origins of our artistic and
intellectual traditions, the influence of these traditions on our
ways of thinking about society, and their pervasiveness as
standards for social meaning.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
