Brian Winkenweder

Reading Wittgenstein: Robert Morris's Art-as-philosophy Brian Winkenweder

Influenced by Ludwig Wittgenstein, internationally acclaimed artist Robert Morris treats art as a ?language-game? whereby the art world functions as a ?form of life? with unique rules governing the play of the ?art game.? This book examines Morris?s oeuvre as a case study to assess the utility of Wittgenstein?s theories for art historical research. Wittgenstein was widely read by many of the seminal Conceptual Artists. To clarify his concept of the language-game, Wittgenstein relied upon an ocularcentric discourse regarding his theories of ?seeing as?, ?noticing an aspect?, ?continuous seeing?, and ?aspect blindness?. Morris?s exploration of these topics reveals limitations and contradictions inherent within art historical discourse, especially as it relates to the formalist theories of Modern Art promoted by Clement Greenberg and Michael Fried. This book will be of particular interest to scholars and students studying contemporary art in general and those focusing on the overlap between philosophy and the visual arts in particular.