What Art Is:What is art? The arts establishment has a simple answer: anything is art if a reputed
artist or expert says it is. Though many people are skeptical about the alleged new
art forms that have proliferated since the early twentieth century, today's critics
claim that all such work, however incomprehensible, is art.
A groundbreaking alternative to this view is provided by philosopher-novelist Ayn
Rand (1905-1982). Best known as the author of The Fountainhead and Atlas
Shrugged, Rand also created an original and illuminating theory of art, which
confirms the widespread view that much of today's purported art is really not art at
all.
In What Art Is, Torres and Kamhi present a lucid introduction to Rand's esthetic
theory, contrasting her ideas with those of other thinkers. They conclude that, in its
basic principles, her account is compelling, and is corroborated by evidence from
anthropology, neurology, cognitive science, and psychology.
The authors apply Rand's theory to a debunking of the work of prominent
modernists and postmodernists--from Mondrian, Jackson Pollock, and Samuel
Beckett to John Cage, Merce Cunningham, and other highly regarded postmodernist
figures. Finally, they explore the implications of Rand's ideas for the issues of
government and corporate support of the arts, art law, and arts
education.
[from the back cover]
What Art Is is the first book-length examination of Rand's little-known theory of art.