The Concept Of Readymade Art Emerged At The Forefront Of...

Beauty: An Objective Account Jasmine J. Benner Phil 280: Aesthetics Topic #5 Elizabeth Panasiuk April 9, 2015 The concept of readymade art emerged at the forefront of the 20th century. Artists introduced conceptual pieces that relied solely on perception, rather than creation. This destructuralization of the art world blurred the lines between art and non-art. Absurdity had been introduced, and standards plummeted, in limbo for eternity. Art became void of all rules and obligations, the very distinctions they require. With no structure the art world is obsolete. Through theories of realism, I believe that ready-mades should not be given the title of art because they seek to glorify objects that do not elevate human understanding of the world, and that do not possess objective qualities of beauty. Marcel Duchamp can be seen as the first to take the plunge into conceptual art. His prototypical piece, named the â€Å"Fountain†, was of much controversy. It introduced a piece of â€Å"found† art, simply signed with the pseudonym â€Å"R.Mutt† and the year, 1917. This practice, of removing a standard object from its original context and reinstating it into the world of art, became a trend. We can see this with Andy Warhol’s Brillo boxes, and further pieces from Duchamp. This raises the question: what truly constitutes art? It’s an abstract concept because objectivity and subjectivity become perfect rivals in this philosophical match. Taking a trip to the previous century, the