ART RETHOUGHT THE SOCIAL PRACTICES OF ART

"Art Rethought: The Social Practices of Art" by Nicholas Wolterstorff is a philosophical work that challenges traditional approaches to understanding art and proposes a new framework focused on social practices.

Key points of the book include:

Critique of the "grand narrative": Wolterstorff argues against the modern philosophical focus on fine arts and disinterested aesthetic attention, which he sees as too narrow.

Social practices approach: He proposes understanding art through the lens of social practices, emphasizing cultural context, audience engagement, and the various ways people interact with art beyond just aesthetic contemplation.

Expanded scope: The book examines often-overlooked forms of art like memorials, objects of veneration, social protest art, and work songs.

Multiple modes of engagement: Wolterstorff argues that there are many valid ways to engage with art beyond disinterested aesthetic attention, such as singing, worshipping, or honoring.

Contemporary relevance: The book also addresses recent art movements that challenge traditional expectations, which Wolterstorff terms "art-reflexive art".

Wolterstorff's approach aims to provide a more flexible and inclusive theory of art that can account for a wider range of artistic practices and forms of engagement. The book is considered thought-provoking and largely persuasive in its arguments for rethinking how we conceptualize and interact with art