Heidegger’s theory of artworks suggests that their function is to ‘unveil truths’ about a historical community. Through the analysis of artworks, Heidegger draws the conclusion that our historical community (the one following from his own) will be characterised by the false belief that the world, including the individual people within it, exists as a series of resources to further human goals. The method which Heidegger uses to reach this conclusion is a type of phenomenological appreciation of artworks which he details in an essay titled “The Origin of the Work of Art.” This essay is heavily criticised by the art historian, Meyer Schapiro. This dissertation analyses Heidegger’s theory of the role of the artwork and the broader conclusions which he draws from his phenomenological approach to art. It considers the importance of Schapiro’s criticisms, the counter-arguments that have been advanced against it, why many of them failed, and why one advanced by Iain Thomson arguably succeeds. Having done so, the paper attempts to bring Heidegger’s phenomenological approach to artwork to bear in the modern age, looking at popular paintings within the last few years to see what conclusions can be drawn from engaging with them in the way that Heidegger describes. Ultimately, the paper concludes that Heidegger’s phenomenological method informs beliefs in the modern age which are in line with the predictions that Heidegger himself made when applying the method in years prior. The strength of Heidegger’s argument, along with the seemingly accurate conclusions that it leads us towards, are used as evidence to suggest the need for a revised approach to contemporary aesthetics which abandons many of the foundational ideas which Heidegger decries during his discussion on the role of the artwork.
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