Art as Experience

An aesthetic theory developed by philosopher John Dewey, Art as Experience outlines the shift from art as an object to the consideration of experience. Dewey moves away from defining art through its intrinsic properties and seeks to define aesthetic experience through the overall interactions one may have with the work. In introducing the reconciliation between the two, Dewey writes, “the task is to restore continuity between the refined and intensified forms of experience that are works of art and the everyday events, doings and sufferings that are universally recognized to constitute experience” (Dewey, pg 2).

Source: Dewey, John. Art as Experience. New York: Penguin, 2005. Print.

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