PolArt · Political Art: Understanding the Function of Art in the Contemporary Social Space Through a New Interpretation of Classical German Philosophy

Political Art: Understanding the Function of Art in the Contemporary Social Space Through a New Interpretation of Classical German Philosophy

The general goal of PolArt is to investigate the political dimension of art and the relationship between art and society, with the aim of identifying in aesthetic representation a meaningful way to understand, critique, and transform social reality. PolArt seeks to provide a new paradigm for understanding how art can play a central role in shaping the fundamental ideals of a society, fostering the proper functioning of political institutions, and strengthening dialogue, solidarity, resilience, and responsiveness in times of crisis. The project aims to rethink this very relationship by addressing the question of what the political dimension of art is and what art can contribute to society. To achieve this, PolArt focuses on a specific moment in the constitution of this relationship, Classical German Philosophy (CGP), which it reconsiders in an innovative way in order to develop the conceptual tools needed to address the challenges of the present. It is an interdisciplinary project that primarily brings together the philosophy of art and political philosophy, while also drawing on other fields such as art and literary history, practical philosophy, philosophical anthropology, gender studies, and decolonial studies. The research is being conducted at the University of Padua (Italy) as the Host Institution, in collaboration with the New School for Social Research (New York) as the Third Country Partner, and the Free University of Berlin as the Secondment Institution. PolArt pursues its aims through three specific objectives: - to produce a new interpretation of Classical German Philosophy, identifying the very origins of a political philosophy of art and, through a rethinking of canonical historiographical divisions, providing a conceptual map of the multiple positions of the period and a hermeneutic model of the relationship between art and politics. - To produce a genealogy showing how much of the conceptual framework underlying twentieth-century and contemporary debates on the relationship between art and politics derives from Classical German Philosophy. - To demonstrate the usefulness of a conceptual framework derived from Classical German Philosophy in formulating a new paradigm capable of addressing issues arising from both academic and public debates on the role of art in society today.

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