Adorno and history - a Strawinskyan and Heideggerian modification of critical theory

SATS 2 (1):107-118 (2001)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

In this paper I investigate the relationship between T.W. Adornos general aesthetic theory and his actual view on contemporary art. Adornos view on art is centered around concepts like praxis, matter and critique: Fine art is supposed to make it obvious that any understanding of matter always in some way is inadequate. Praxis is always grounded on an understanding of matter, but in hiding this fact it becomes ideological and repressive. The fine arts have to make this visible – they have to criticize the given praxis. This leads him to reject very big areas of the actual contemporary art – e.g. the music of Igor Strawinsky. I will show that this rejection springs from Adornos view on matters that turns out to be too narrow: His view on matter is too physicalistic. He focuses on the fact that Strawinskys music on the pure audible level is not as radical as for example Schoenbergs music. In this critique I think he overlooks that the music material is not just the audible sound. Strawinskys music appears as new - but only if one realizes how history is part of its material. Adornos being unaware of this leads to a modification (through Heidegger and Strawinsky) of his (and the general marxist) concept of history: The marxist (romanticist) view on history as being one-dimensional shows to be repressive! Adornos own methodology (the negative dialectics) therefore demands a modication of his own view on history – and also of his view on contemporary arts.

Other Versions

No versions found

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 101,960

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Aesthetic Theory as Social Theory.Peter Uwe Hohendahl - 2019 - In Peter Eli Gordon (ed.), A companion to Adorno. Hoboken: Wiley. pp. 413–426.
Kant's Expressive Theory of Music.Samantha Matherne - 2014 - Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 72 (2):129-145.
Music and the aural arts.Andy Hamilton - 2007 - British Journal of Aesthetics 47 (1):46-63.
Intangible Matters.Günter Figal - 2018 - Research in Phenomenology 48 (3):307-317.
THE END OF ART AND PATOČKA's PHILOSOPHY OF ART.Josl Jan - 2016 - HORIZON. Studies in Phenomenology 1 (1):232-246.

Analytics

Added to PP
2014-01-21

Downloads
23 (#956,988)

6 months
7 (#764,599)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

Add more references