Richard Wollheim on the Art of Painting: Art as Representation and Expression

Richard Wollheim on the Art of Painting: Art as Representation and Expression is an essential read for anyone interested in the philosophy of art. Richard Wollheim's work on the topic has been immensely influential in the field and has established him as one of its dominant figures. The book features contributions from a group of distinguished thinkers in the fields of art history and philosophical aesthetics. They provide a critical assessment of Wollheim's theories on two core questions: how paintings depict and how they express feelings. These essays explore themes such as Wollheim's explanation of pictorial representation in terms of seeing-in, his views of artistic expression as a type of complex projection, and his notion of the internal spectator. Of particular interest is the final essay, in which Wollheim himself responds to the contributors. This allows readers to fully engage with the theories presented in the book and to gain a deeper understanding of Wollheim's ideas. Overall, this book is a valuable resource for students and scholars of the theory of art, whether in philosophy or art history departments. It provides a nuanced exploration of Richard Wollheim's influential work on the topic and is sure to stimulate further discussion and debate within the field.