Philosophical approaches to the mission of the modern art

ISBN 9789941135873; ISSN 1987-5363 | The articles included in the collection underwent an anonymous review

The article discusses some opinions of the art theorists about the aims and attainments of modern artists, and then expands the consideration invoking some ideas of the nature of the great modern artworks that are proposed by several eminent philosophers. Some of recent developments in art might be understood as increasing turn to social and political engagement, or even as convergence with direct social activism. The aim of artistic creation is quite frequently considered as an immediate social impact. So it appears that the works of high modernism had lost the previous attention as lacking the power to promote changes of the social life. The present conditions make us reconsider a nature and mission of Modernism in art and see into the critical intentions of its creators. It must be recognized that even the works of “autonomous” art do not limit themselves within the realm of the proper artistic problems; the artworks are being created also affecting the public by the intention to provoke critical thinking, rebuke stereotypes and open us up to the extraordinary experiences of the world and ourselves within it. The inquiry into Martin Heidegger’s ideas of poetry, Theodor W. Adorno’s and Gilles Deleuze’s writings on the philosophy of Modern art shows that formally elaborate modern art allows us to see the possibility of the other world and hereby changes our experiences, social attitudes and outlook on life even deeper than contemporary artistic creation that is immediately engaged in social effects.