In his first talk in the series, James will be answering the most fundamental question of all: what is art?
Taking us on a journey from prehistoric cave painting to the contemporary art scene, James will explore some of the masterpieces of world art and dive deep into the history of philosophy to tackle a series of related questions: When did we start making art? Why do we make it? Can art be anything? Can anything be art? And if so, who gets to decide what is and isn’t art? These questions have never been more relevant than today, when so much art doesn’t seem to be art at all.
James is an art historian at the University of Cambridge, as well as a curator, award-winning broadcaster and the best-selling author of The World According To Colour.
Talk chapters:
3.53 - Natural art from 3 million years ago
8.14 - 19th century understanding of art
12.13 - Art in the 20th century
14.04 - An 'open concept'
18.28 - The functionalist approach
24.17 - The institutionalist approach
28.54 - What question should we be asking?
Read moreJoin our 4-part series as we explore the world of art with Cambridge Art Historian & Broadcaster, Dr James Fox.
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