Anatomy Of The Art In The Public Domain With A Modern Text

The publicity of art criticism is a hot topic recently. It is increaslingly corelated with culture, society, and politics, and becomes an important component of sociological studies. Based on the public sphere theories of Jurgen Habermas and Hannah Arendt, it explores value, rationality, and democracy in the perspective of culture and art, and reestablishes its social-critical role through cultural reflection. It is now one of the important approaches to modern social problems in China academe.Art creation and art criticism virtually works in the dimension of communicative action. Its publicity depends on the presence of many perspectives and various aspects that are supposed to be eaqual, rational, and able to do understanding-based legitimate communication. The legitimate communicative action is a typical cultural characteristic in public sphere, and a vital premise of cultural independence and free development.The introduction is a survey of the publicity of art criticism. It introduces the influence of Habermas's public sphere theory on art criticism, and points out the social significance of Western Maxist criticism on the instrumental rationality. The first chapter combs the historical development of the public sphere concept, and the knowledge of it at various historical phases. An Aristotle-to-the Frankfurt School analysis reveals the connotation of civil society, the complicated political philosophy concept, and its relationship with public sphere. Habermas first depicts the bourgeoisie public sphere as a transition between state and people, a way to express civil demands on democracy, equality, and social rationalization, as well as a way to resist authoritarianism. Influenced by modern philosophy, especially its linguistic turn, Habermas furthers his public sphere theory to communiative action theory, and points out that reconstructing modernity and rationality is the way to save philosophy and rationality.The second chapter deals with the relationship of art and life, and that of art and public sphere. It explores the access to public sphere through art. Art produces influence on public sphere when it is interpreted in public sphere. Artists and audience should clear up the language hegemony, preserve the discourse democracy and freedom, and revise the language system that shapes them in public sphere. Besides, the chapter argues that the publicity of contemporary Chinese art lies in art theories'critical position.The third chapter analyzes the works of Zhang Xiaogang, a contemporary artist, reveals deeply the special context of contemporary Chinese culture, and illustrates Chinese intellectuals'responsibility to reject their marginalization. Without criticism and self-reflection, the recovery of culture is nothing but an illusion. Without the courage to facce up the cultural desert, we are unable to meet the challenge of the unpredictable future. Artists and critics should be more aware to share the discourse right, and to chanllenge the dominant discourse in public sphere. This may lead to speech act's return to value rationality, and give it democratic and sociological significance.The thesis concludes that, in the consumption society, man should consciously resist the split of flesh and soul, the invasion of political-economic system into man's value system, and the possible oppression of new types of authoritarianism over freedom and democracy. With access to public sphere, man can seek the value of his being, liberate himsel, and return to this world and love it.