Phenomenology and Critical Theory: Determinant Aspects of Contemporary Aesthetics

Abstract

The text aims to elucidate key determinants of twentieth-century aesthetics through two of the most influential philosophical propositions of the era: phenomenology and Marxist critical theory. The structure of the text unfolds as follows: first, drawing on phenomenology, two readings are explicated: Heidegger, who explores the possibilities that the artwork reveals in relation to the truth of being; Levinas, who explores exoticism as an essential category of art, along with the correlation between artwork and shadow in response to Heideggerian truth. Secondly, Lukács's theory of artistic reflection will be examined as a preamble to the following two proposals: Benjamin and the politicization of art as a robust response to the aestheticization of politics; in contrast, Adorno critiques the politicization of art and underscores the necessity of emphasizing art's autonomy alongside its role as a force of social resistance. Ultimately, a presentation will be made that successfully identifies the essential elements of both traditions. These elements are not intended to be directly intertwined, but rather to be seen as complementary means of understanding the determinant aspects when reflecting on twentieth-century aesthetics and its conspicuous influence on contemporary artistic forms.