Obligations to Artworks as Duties of Love
Obligations to Artworks as Duties of Love
Author(s): Anthony CrossSubject(s): Aesthetics
Published by: Helsinki University Press
Keywords: aesthetic judgement;aesthetic reasons;aesthetic value;aesthetic obligations;work of art
Summary/Abstract: It is uncontroversial that our engagement with artworks is constrained by obligations; most commonly, these consist in obligations to other persons, such as artists, audiences, and owners of artworks. A more controversial claim is that we have genuine obligations to artworks themselves. I defend a qualified version of this claim. However, I argue that such obligations do not derive from the supposed moral rights of artworks – for no such rights exist. Rather, I argue that these obligations are instances of duties of love: obligations that one incurs in virtue of loving some object, be it a person or, in this case, an artwork.
Journal: Estetika: The European Journal of Aesthetics
- Issue Year: LIV/2017
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 85-101
- Page Count: 17
- Language: English