Laruelle and Art: The Aesthetics of Non-Philosophy

(Paperback)

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Franois Laruelle emerged from the hallowed generation of French postwar philosophers that included luminaries such as Jacques Derrida, Gilles Deleuze, Luce Irigaray, and Jean Baudrillard, yet his thinking differs radically from that of his better-known contemporaries. In Laruelle and Art, Jonathan Fardy provides the first academic monograph dedicated solely to Laruelles unique contribution to aesthetic theory and specifically the non-philosophical project he terms non-aesthetics. This undertaking allows Laruelle to think about art outside the boundaries of standard philosophy, an approach that Fardy explicates through a series of case studies. By analysing the art of figures such as Julia Margaret Cameron, Anish Kapoor, Dan Flavin, and James Turrell as well as the drama of Michael Frayn, Fardys new book enables new and experienced readers of Laruelle to understand how the philosophers thinking can open up new vistas of art and criticism.

Reviews

Laruelle and Art is a highly original, engaging, and accessible introduction to one of Frances most important contemporary thinkers. It is also far more than an introduction and develops its own non-aesthetic perspectives on both art and philosophy which develop non-philosophical thought in a distinctive and innovative manner. -- Ian James, Reader in Modern French Literature and Thought, University of Cambridge, UK
With rare elegance and accessible language Fardy conveys the fundamental tenets of non-philosophy (or of non-standard philosophy). Non-philosophy and its treatment of the practice of art is presented in lucid, revealing and coherent manner which makes this book not only an original study in non-esthetics but also a perfect introduction in non-standard philosophy and the oeuvre of Franois Laruelle. -- Katerina Kolozova, Professor of philosophy at the Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities - Skopje, North Macedonia
New readers of Franois Laruelles non-philosophy are often surprised to find themselves confronted by a way of thinking that aims to be a practice. Fardys new book deftly demonstrates how such a project helps us see how thinking through aesthetic practice and objects is an aesthetic practice in itself. * Anthony Paul Smith, Associate Professor, La Salle University, USA *
Laruelle and Art is a very important work that brings Laruelles challenging ideas back to earth. Yet Fardy never dumbs down non-philosophy: with brilliant examples drawn from practices in photography, visual installation, sculpture, and theatre, he thinks alongside Laruelle while performing a non-standard thought all his own. A major achievement. * Professor John Maoilearca, Kingston School of Art, London, UK *

Author Bio

Jonathan Fardy is Assistant Professor of Art History at Idaho State University. His research specialisms are the history of photography, nineteenth-century visual culture, critical theory and art criticism.