Art and its Objects

Rating:
Summary: Academic Classic
Review: An outstanding, conceptually challenging, classic exploration of the ontology of art. It may be daunting at first, but once you become accustomed to the level of abstraction of the text, it is extremely rewarding.

Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: I don't know of Wollheim's claim to fame, other than as a graduate student he helped A. J. Ayer in his writings. Be that as it may, this book (and everything Wollheim has written) is so droll and irrelevant to the philosophy of art. I suspect he is trying so hard to be anglo-analytic in his approach that he forgot that art touches the heart as well as the mind. Wollheim focuses entirely on the mind, and the mind games that ensue do little to enlighten one's understanding of art and its objects, what and why they do what they, and why they're important. This book was used in a course I had with Wollheim as a lecturer; both could not have been more boring and banal. The book was widely resold as many students didn't bother to read it, or began to read it and gave up. The consensus was nearly unanimous in irrelevance to the artist especially, and no less irrelevant to the philosophy students.

Rating:
Summary: Boring, if the reader doesn't have patience!
Review: It was comparable to a mild shock to read the review by Mr. Heersink, because it's quite daring to say that the work of Richard Wollheim is totally irrelevant to the philosophy of art. And I think it would need a bit more arguing then Mr. Heersink is willing to give us. Before I read this marvelous book I knew Wollheim's name only for the type-token distinction, which I didn't consider that ingenious or fruitful. I supposed that this book would deal mostly with that topic, but fortunately I was wrong. The type-token distinction is only one of many topics addressed in this book. Other topics include style, feelings and I especially like Wollheim's analysis of art as "a form of life". I also find it quite fascinating that Wollheim is so keen on Freud's ideas.

It's of course true that Wollheim might seem boring if your idea of a great work in aesthetics is Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy or Heidegger's The Origins of the Worf of Art, but I think these two books eventually seem to say more then they really do. Wollheim doesn't try to seduce the reader with his rhetoric. This book contains interesting discussions on a variety of topics. Struggle and learn.

Rating:
Summary: Rigorous and rewarding
Review: This is a rigorous analysis of the meaning of art. presented by one of the pre-eminent thinkers of our time. It is, as such, a dense work which requires a sustained serious reading. The prior reviewer is correct; while it may seem daunting at first, it is actually thrilling to experience the clarity of the thinking and exposition.