Popular Pleasures: An Introduction to the Aesthetics of Popular Visual Culture

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Todays many popular aesthetic pleasures have a very long history. Paul Duncum considers the historical critical discourses, and socio-political issues raised by aesthetic pleasures in fifteen thematic chapters. Using illustrative examples from the past, present, and across cultures, he challenges the idea of any decline of cultural standards and argues that no grounds exist for cultural pessimism. Refusing to condemn popular culture on the basis of taste, he reserves critique for the socio-political ideologies aesthetics invariably serve. Art history, film, cultural studies, and philosophical aesthetics are each employed to show that the sensory/emotional lures of todays popular culture are mostly identical to those of premodern fine art. They include the violent, the horrific, the sentimental, the exotic, the erotic, and the humorous. Some of these pleasures derive from our evolutionary biology; they are all an important part of what it means to be human, and central to understanding contemporary society. Examples are wide-ranging, including British seaside postcards, Disney films, Nazi propaganda, burlesque, modern advertising, as well as many exemplars of fine art. The book reveals fresh insights for all those studying visual culture, art history, aesthetics, media studies, and media and art education.

Reviews

[P]layful yet serious and will attract a large audience. * International Journal of Education through Art *
From Plato to Pokmon GO, Duncum brilliantly examines the enduring entanglements between art and popular culture This book is for everyone who wants to avoid the interminable arguments that seem to dominate all things aesthetics. * Kevin Tavin, Aalto University, Finland *
Popular Pleasures is well-researched and has flashes of brilliant insight The book will benefit students of many visual culture disciplines, including art education, art history, graphic arts and media communications. * Kerry Freedman, Northern Illinois University, USA *
Immaculately researched and eloquently written, this engaging book highlights both the irresistible sensory appeal and economic, political, and ideological interest behind popular images. * Olga Ivashkevich, University of South Carolina, USA *

Author Bio

Paul Duncum is Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois, USA, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Tasmania, Australia. He is the author of Picture Pedagogy (Bloomsbury, 2020).