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Arts, Special Issue: Reconsidering the State(s) of Criticism
Deadline: Aug 14, 2020
www.mdpi.com/journal/arts/special_issues/reconsider_criticism Stephen Moonie
Arts | Special Issue
Reconsidering the State(s) of Criticism
Twelve years ago, James Elkins and Michael Newman's "The State of Criticism" was published.
Despite the richness of the discussion provided by its contributors over two roundtables—and in the collection's numerous postscripts—the most striking aspect of the anthology was the com- plete lack of consensus upon fundamental notions around criticism. Those included: its function;
its proper object of attention; its relationship to art history; its own history (or lack of it); and the perennial problem of 'neutrality' and the critic's complicities.
One might conclude from this rancour and dissension that criticism is a lost cause: although like painting, its death has been announced on a number of occasions. Some commentators claim that criticism has been superseded by 'theory', by 'art-writing', or by 'critical art'; others claim that criticism is compromised by its parochialism, or by its relationship to the market. Others have not- ed that critical prestige has been usurped by curators and collectors.
This Special Issue proposes that confusion over the role of criticism is a problem worthy of much more careful consideration, and that claims made for its demise can no longer be taken for grant- ed. The appearance of Elkins' and Newman's anthology coincided with the 2007–08 Financial Cri- sis. Since then, the global cultural and political climate has changed significantly, requiring that we reconsider the place of criticism anew. Notions of judgment, voice, and critical discrimination may be more, not less pertinent in an age of 'big data', artificial intelligence, the widespread prolif- eration of culture, and the contentious notion of 'post-truth'. In what ways might criticism be re-- considered in the current context? What kind of knowledge does it provide?
The issue invites essays that include, but are not limited to, the issues sketched above. The issue welcomes contributions which proceed from particular moments, or acts of criticism which open out onto to the broader issues at stake.
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging.
Manuscripts can be submitted until 14 August 2020.
All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles,
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review articles as well as short communications are invited.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process.
Arts is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.
Guest Editor: Dr. Stephen Moonie (stephen.moonie@newcastle.ac.uk)
More information can be found here: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/arts/special_issues/recon- sider_criticism
Reference:
CFP: Arts, Special Issue: Reconsidering the State(s) of Criticism. In: ArtHist.net, May 10, 2020 (accessed Feb 27, 2022), <https://arthist.net/archive/23061>.
