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Title: The Experiental Dimension of Arthur C. Danto's Definition of Art Author: Mgr. Šárka Lojdová Department: Katedra Estetiky Supervisor: Mgr. Štěpán Kubalík, Ph.D. Abstract The main topic of the present dissertation thesis is Arthur Coleman Danto's approach to defining art. The dissertation explains characteristics Danto considers as defining conditions of art. Its goal, however, lies elsewhere - I aim to demonstrate that Danto ties the essence of art with the experiential dimension of art. The experiential or - in Danto's terms, pragmatic - dimension of art describes the viewer's interaction with an artwork. According to Danto, artworks provoke an emotional reaction on the part of a spectator; what is more, they might change one's view of the world. My reading of Danto's position differs significantly from the traditional interpretation of his definition of art. Contemporary philosophers emphasize the semantical dimension of Danto's writings. Danto proved that one thing might be an artwork regardless of being perceptually indiscernible from an ordinary thing since artworks - contrary to real things - have content. Danto's introduction of this condition helped to accept avant-garde works as art. My thesis, however, shows that the content (and interpretation) is not the whole story. I argue that it is not...

This master thesis "Perspectives of an Art Institution" focuses on the George Dickie's institutional theory of art (thereafter IT). This theory defines "work of art" as a result of the position of an artefact in the institutional framework of the artworld. The author of the thesis pays attention to the historical development of the IT- firstly published in 1969 in the article "Defining Art" and radically revisited in the book The Art Circle in 1984- as well as to the critical discussion based on Dickie's theory. In the first chapter she compares both the earlier and the later version of the theory; in following chapters she concerns with objections formulated against Dickie's IT. IT seems to be problematic in several aspects: the term "institution" is considered to be ambiguous; Dickie fails to give a full description of roles and rules which determine the operations of the artworld; the notion of appreciation seems to be contradictory with Dickie's opinions presented earlier; circularity; and Dickie's unsatisfactory attention to the historical dimension of the artworld. All of these objections are compared with Dickie's theory to prove their legitimacy or to refuse them as illegitimate. Not only aims the thesis to sum up the critical discussion but it aims to answer the question if the theory...

The main topic of Bacherol thesis Discussion on Bullough's Concept of Psychical Distance is to outline a discussion based on Edward Bullough's conception of psychical Distance and to try to prove relevance of "distance" for the contemplation of aesthetic object. According to this topic the first part of the thesis sums up Bullough's main ideas, it focuses on its aspects (antinomy, variability and consistence); describes the way of adopting and loosing of distance; defines its status of aesthetic principle (distinction between agreeable and beautiful, formulation of anti- realistic character of art). The second part summarizes reflections of Bullough 's psychical distance in work of Sheila Dawson, Allan Casebier, Oswald Hanfling and George Dickie. Hanfling and Casebier distinguish several types of distance. Using the term "conceptual form" Dawson specifies Bullough's attitude and accepts it. Dickie refuses existence of distance and replaces it by the term "paying attention."