ONLINE SEMINAR
September 25 | On Beauty: The Wonder Project Part II
$350.00
In Part Two of the Wonder Project, we explore our experience of wonder and artistic excellence. Using as our guide Immanuel Kant’s account of the four moments in the evaluation of beauty in The Critique of Judgment, we will consider what makes for a beautiful work of art We’ll move from theory to practice as we apply Kant’s ideas to the paintings of Diego Velazquez, as part of a larger project of determining how Kant created a template for contemporary theories of beauty. As such we’ll put him in conversation with advocates of evolutionary theories of beauty, formalist art critics, philosophers writing on the hermeneutics of beauty, and sociologists charting the social construction of beauty.
You do not have to participated in Wonder Project Part 1 to do Part 2.
When: Six weekly sessions on Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, starting September 25, 2021
Duration: 2 hours per session
Cost: C$350 plus 13% HST (approx. US$281 plus 13% HST)
Group Size: 12-participant limit
How: We meet on Zoom; you will receive joining instructions approx. 3 weeks before the seminar start date. For your privacy, all our Zoom seminars are password-protected and are never recorded. See full conditions at the bottom of this page.
All seminar payments are nonrefundable. All discount codes must be used at time of purchase. If you would like to apply your Toronto Pursuits 2020 deposit to this seminar, please contact us.
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Description
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LEADER
Dr. Wendy O’Brien is a philosopher with over 30 years’ experience teaching in academic and non-academic environments, including Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Waterloo, Harvard, Oxford and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Her work explores subjects including power, violence, the relation to the Other, home, silence, and creativity. She is presently working on a long-term project on the concept of wonder. An active member of the Ontario literary scene, she has been an interviewer for organizations including By the Lake Book Club, the Toronto International Festival of Authors and GritLit, as well as hosting Bourbon and Books book club in both Toronto and Hamilton.
SEMINAR READINGS
Selected writings of Immanuel Kant. Participants will be sent links to each week’s readings.
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Once upon a time we wondered at the world. Wonder was the standard we used to judge natural beauty, artistic excellence and scientific achievement. But then . . . then something happened to us. It became harder to wonder — to wonder in terms of asking questions, and to wonder with regard to standing in awe. What happened to us? What did we gain and what did we lose? And can we get our wonder back?
In Part Two of the Wonder Project, we explore our experience of wonder and artistic excellence. Using as our guide Immanuel Kant’s account of the four moments in the evaluation of beauty in The Critique of Judgment, we will consider what makes for a beautiful work of art. We’ll take ourselves through Kant’s process as we investigate his claim that beauty is a matter of taste, consider his association of beauty with disinterestedness, reflect on how it can be that when we experience beauty there is purposiveness without a purpose, and discuss how our judgments of beauty are exemplary in nature. We’ll move from theory to practice as we apply Kant’s ideas to the work of Diego Velazquez, specifically the Rokeby Venus. Wendy found this painting to be the most beautiful work of art she had ever seen when she first encountered it at the National Gallery in London. Participants will consider Kant’s four steps in relationship to what they feel is the most beautiful work they have seen. As we work our way through Kant’s ideas, we’ll put them and our own impressions in conversation with advocates of evolutionary theories of beauty, formalist art critics, philosophers writing on the hermeneutics of beauty, and sociologists charting the social construction of beauty.
All online seminar payments are nonrefundable. All discount codes must be used at the time of purchase; no retroactive discounts will be issued.
Classical Pursuits does not record seminars. By participating in any seminar, registrants agree not to make their own seminar recordings and to abide by the Classical Pursuits code of conduct.
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Additional information
| Choose registration type | Standard registration, Toronto Pursuits 2020 credit |
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