Intersections, 35th AAH Conference, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2-4
April, 2009

Session Title: Art History and Art Criticism: Intersections, Disconnections,
Non-Communications

Session Proposal:

Various relationships have been posited between the practice of art criticism
and the discipline of art history. Some writers, like James Elkins, have
argued that the two activities belong to, or stem from very different
contexts, with art history being rooted in academia and art criticism in
public/journalistic discourse. Likewise, Michael Fried proposed a
differentiation based upon art history's 'neutrality' and art criticism's
'judgmentalness'. On the other hand, Michael Baxandall has stated that he
uses the terms 'art history' and 'art criticism' interchangeably. Likewise,
Stephen Melville has suggested that the distinction between art history and
art criticism is neither particularly deep nor clear. Finally, it often seems
that (past) art criticism functions largely as evidence and reception theory
for art-historical narratives. Such an attitude perhaps dovetails with a
marked hostility towards issues of judgment and 'taste' on the part of art
historians in recent decades.
The relationships between art history and art criticism, then, seem
characterisable as intersection, disconnection, and perhaps even
non-communication, which further suggests different
intersections/disconnections with the artwork. This session seeks to explore
these relationships and encourage a more nuanced understanding of the
relation between the two modes. Moreover, with art history being increasingly
conceived as subsumable under an overarching programme of visual-cultural
studies, and art criticism being simultaneously in a state of crisis and yet
present everywhere through the 'blogosphere', it is arguably more crucial
than ever to explore these relationships carefully. We invite contributors to
examine these relationships, to consider the perceived cleavage between
academic and 'journalistic' criticism, and other related topics.

Conveners:

Dr. Matthew Bowman,
9 Station Road,
Wivenhoe,
Essex,
CO7 9DH

07902938027

mattbowman100hotmail.com
mbowmabessex.ac.uk

Stephen Moonie (Doctoral candidate),
1 West Quay,
Wivenhoe,
Essex,
CO7 9TF

07931774227

sjmoonessex.ac.uk

For further information relating to the conference, please see:

http://www.aah.org.uk/conference/index.php