Browsing by Subject "Aesthetics"
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Item A genealogy of cyborgothic: aesthetics and ethics in the age of posthumanism(2009-05-15) Yi, DongshinThis dissertation considers the future convergence between gothic studies and humanism in the age of posthumanism and proposes ?cyborgothic? as a new literary genre that heralds that future. The convergence under consideration is already in progress in that an encounter between human and non-human consistently inspires the two fields, questioning the nature of humans and the treatment of such non-human beings as cyborgs. Such questioning, often conducted within the boundary of humanities, persistently interprets non-human beings as either representing or helping human shortcomings. Accordingly, answers are human-orientated or even human-centered in many cases, and ?cyborgothic,? generated out of retrospective investigation into gothic studies and prospective formulation of posthumanism, aims to present different, nonanthropocentric ways to view humans and non-humans on equal terms. The retrospective investigation into gothic studies focuses on Ann Radcliffe?s The Mysteries of Udolpho and Edmund Burke?s A Philosophical Enquiry into the Sublime and Beautiful to retrieve a gothic aesthetics of the beautiful, and in the second chapter, examines Mary Shelley?s Frankenstein against Kant?s aesthetics to demonstrate how this gothic aesthetics becomes obsolete in the tradition of the sublime. This dissertation then addresses Bram Stoker?s Dracula along with Bruno Latour?s Science in Action to reveal problems in fabricating scientific knowledge, especially focusing on sacrifices made in the process. In the forth chapter, I examine Sinclair Lewis?s Arrowsmith with William James?s pragmatism, and consider the question of how moral complications inherent in science have been handled in American society. The last chapter proposes Marge Piercy?s He, She and It as a same cyborgothic text, which tries to develop a way to acknowledge the presence of the cyborg?one that is at once aesthetical and ethical?so as to enable humans and cyborgs to relate each other on equal terms. Thus, ?cyborgothic? is being required as a literary attempt to present the age of posthumanism that is no longer anthropocentric.Item A senior high school for Frenship Independent School District(Texas Tech University, 1988-05) Bazán, Elliott J.The design focus of this school is to use the sun as the designing element in its site orientation, lighting, and passive solar heating systems. This design will also allow me to depart from the traditional "box school" and develop an open, expanded campus which will allow me to design some sort of visual integration of outdoor and indoor spaces. Through this design I hope to provide a pleasing and stimulating environment for sound and varied educational backgrounds.This design should help create an inviting atmosphere which would stimulate anticipation of learning activities and flexible to met the needs of student and community.Item Aesthetic experience: as a perceptual process and theory of learning in art(Texas Tech University, 1981-05) Favre, Jack ArnoldNot availableItem The aesthetics of sppropriation : Ghalib's Persian Ghazal poetry and its critics(2010-05) Bruce, Gregory Maxwell; Hyder, Syed Akbar; Selby, Martha A.This thesis examines the Persian ghazal poetry of Mirza Ghalib. It does so in the light of the corpus of critical literature in Urdu, Persian, and English that concerns both the poetry of Ghalib as well as the poetry of the so-called “Indian Style” of Persian poetry. Poems by Ghalib and his literary forebears, including Fighani, Naziri, ‘Urfi, Zuhuri, Sa’ib, and Bedil are offered in translation; critical commentary follows each text. The thesis explicates the ways in which each of these authors engaged in an intertextual dialogue, here called javaab-go’ii, or appropriative response-writing, with his forebears, and argues that the dynamics of this intertextual dialogue contribute significantly to the poetry’s aesthetics. These “aesthetics of appropriation” are discussed, analyzed, and evaluated both in the light of Ghalib’s writings on literary influence and Persian poetics, as well as in the light of the aforementioned corpus of critical literature.Item American popular culture aesthetics(Texas Tech University, 1991-05) Cox, Berry ShawnThrough the analysis of the popular cultures' expressive media and the associated aesthetic characteristics, an architecture will be generated from these characteristics which is created specifically for and thus related to the aesthetic values and preferences of American popular culture.Item An exemplary unit of instruction designed to introduce secondary students to instructional content about computer art and discipline-based art education(Texas Tech University, 1995-05) Humphries, Holle LynnThis study provides an exemplary unit of lesson plans that uses a DBAE approach to examine computer art, focusing upon instructional content drawn from the art discipline of aesthetics and aesthetic inquiry strategies that can be used to examine computer art. The aesthetic issue selected for exploration concerns the ontological question, "What is the nature of art—or of computer art?" Inquiry strategies suggested for exploring this issue incorporate aspects of Matthew Lipman's "Philosophy for Children" curriculum, case studies and questions about art posed by Margaret Battin et aL (1989), and exercises suggested by John Hospers (1982). The instructional unit proposed is designed for use by secondary art teachers, and provides an example of how a DBAE approach can be used to encourage students to investigate and respond to a contemporary art form in the classroom. There are three aspects to the study. To respond to the question, "What is the nature of art—or of computer art?", one should examine computer art within the context of the four art disciplines of aesthetics, art production, art history, and art criticism. Therefore, a review of literature surveyed four areas: philosophical aesthetics, art education, computer science, and art. Second, as "computer art" is a broad topic, some order needed to be imposed upon the vast amount of information obtained. Therefore, a synthesis of information derived from the review of literature is arrayed in the form of a matrix. The matrix provides a way to organize information about computer art into four areas, with each area corresponding to one of the four art disciplines. Third, the study presents an exemplary instructional unit of lesson plans. The instructional unit utilizes information about computer art drawn from the matrix as content for the lessons presented. Within the lesson plans, suggestions are made to present the content about computer art in ways to encourage an interchange of dialogue among students through the use of questioning strategies, case studies, and role playing.Item Artistic expression, aesthetic value and the law(2011-05) Neilson, Jennifer A.; Higgins, Kathleen Marie; Malmgren, Anna-Sara; Martinich, Aloysius P.; Walton, Kendall; Woodruff, PaulThe aim of this project is to develop a legally relevant theory of artistic value, based on which a judge can reliably determine whether a work has sufficient such value to be granted constitutional protection, even though it would otherwise count as obscene. Within this framework I argue that a moral flaw can count as an aesthetic virtue in a narrative work, at least when the audience learns something from the immoral content of the work. Since expert testimony is sometimes required in legal cases about artistic value, I also develop a legally applicable theory of aesthetic testimony, such that expert testimony can be used to determine the valence of aesthetic properties, which is essential in determining a work‘s overall artistic value. My theory of which properties of works are relevant to their aesthetic evaluation depends both on which categories the work is appreciated in, and on the conventions of those categories. I address these issues within Canadian and American legal contexts.Item Becoming a media activist : linking culture, identity, and web design(2011-12) Fineman, Elissa Arra; Staiger, Janet; Christ, Bill; Kearney, Mary; Stone, Alluquere; Straubhaar, JosephThis dissertation explored two facets of media activism. It used a Life History research methodology to understand how someone becomes a media activist, and it employed a textual analysis to explain the visual interface choices made by a media activist on the Internet. Throughout, the study is informed by theories of social identity, authorship, visual culture, and agency. The results that emerged offer insight into four areas of media studies: digital resistance, media education, digital aesthetics, and the use of social psychology to understand new media production.Item Children's mathematical understandings of tessellations : a cognitive and aesthetic synthesis(2011-12) Eberle, Robert Scott; Carmona Domínguez, Guadalupe de la Paz; Berland, Leema; Empson, Susan; Sinclair, Nathalie; Starbird, Michael; Stroup, WalterTessellations have a rich mathematical structure and are especially appropriate as a context for teaching geometry in the middle grades. Few studies have researched how children conceptualize and learn tessellations in spite of their international use in educational contexts. This exploratory study looks at how fourth grade students conceptualize tessellations before instruction. The analysis is done from a Piagetian, cognitive viewpoint and from an aesthetic viewpoint. It is argued that the aesthetic viewpoint is crucial and foundational to children's mathematical understanding, just as it is for mathematicians. A series of clinical interviews was conducted with six fourth grade children. The results identified common themes of children's understanding, strategies, reasoning, and aesthetic criteria for tessellations. Children's ontology varied between object and process conceptions of tessellations. Children struggled especially with the infinite space of mathematical tessellations. Children's aesthetics, including symmetry, influenced their choices in creating tessellations and are shown to have played a cognitive role in children's mathematical exploration of tessellation structures. Mathematics influences students' aesthetic appreciation of tessellations and, more importantly, aesthetics drives the study of the mathematical structure of tessellations. Children's aesthetic criteria were the same as mathematicians', but with much different emphases. Other results are discussed, including the mathematical content elicited by the tasks, the influence of the tools used to create tessellations, the children's epistemology of their tessellations, and the role symmetry played in giving children confidence. Recommendations for future research and possible implications for curriculum and instruction are noted.Item The city of living garbage : improvisational ecologies of Austin, Texas(2010-05) Webel, Scott Michael; Stewart, Kathleen, 1953-; Ali, Kamran A.; Hartigan, John; Davis, Janet M.; Stone, Allucqu�re R.“The city of living garbage” tours private houses in Austin transformed by their inhabitants into quasi-public places – art environments and permaculture systems made possible by urban waste. The creators of these micro-utopias collect and improvise with salvaged materials like roadside junk, greywater, unwanted animals, and half-forgotten cultural forms to cultivate habitats where undervalued things flourish. They revalue waste through a variety of practices like caring for, teaching, learning, enjoying, and tinkering. Becoming part of these relational patterns is a way to slow down and find wonder and pleasure in the ordinary, but also to act on ecological problems in the larger world. The landscape patches that emerge are lively but vulnerable assemblages that artists, activists, and their nonhuman allies belong to as local characters. By being open for tours, the places loosely connect publics that share modes of attention set on urban natures, salvageable garbage, and vernacular aesthetics. These informal institutions, non-profits, and vulnerable for-profit businesses are caught up in Austin’s current sustainable and cultural development strategies, but also share in an informal economy through their use of valueless wastes. Some articulate with contemporary localization movements that seek to reconfigure water, food, and energy production to decrease their precarious dependence on globalized economies. Others refuse the boundary between art and everyday life by recasting houses as never-ending aesthetic projects. Similarly, as wildlife habitats and urban gardens, they are thriving examples of cultivated places that disrupt an assumed antithesis between cities and ecosystems. These embodied critiques or dreams are small-scale manifestations of what urban natures might become. Borrowing from Deleuze & Guattari, Haraway, Latour, and Thrift, I attend to these places’ ecological and aesthetic relational dynamics that communicate directly through bodies, senses, and forms. This non-representational approach recognizes the contributions of nonhuman agents like plants, animals, microbes, and machines in composing affective landscapes. The writing strives to be a mode of research that is isomorphic with the phenomena it describes. It is impelled by a love of the places, people, and beings it researches; it aspires to preserve a little bit of them by redoubling their presence in the world.Item Cloak and mirror: postmodern eclecticism in the appropriation of modern hermeneutics as prefigured in nineteenth century aesthetics(Texas Tech University, 1995-05) Inman, R. CameronNot availableItem Coherentism as a model for aesthetic evaluation(Texas Tech University, 1993-05) Kairies, Joy E.When evaluating artworks, people commonly assert that certain artworks are good or bad, powerful or impassive, original or trite. We frequently ascribe properties and qualities to artworks such as graceful, balanced, serene, dynamic, vivid, and tragic as though those properties truly exist within the artwork and can be easily identified by any rational and observant individual. We often deliberate about the value of artworks as though there really was a correct answer. Nevertheless, it is widely believed that aesthetic judgments cannot be justified. Because past theories that purported to establish aesthetic evaluation as an objective discipline have generally been unsuccessful, people have assumed that such judgments are merely expressions of our individual tastes or attitudes. Aesthetic evaluations are thought to be similar to moral judgments in this respect. Many argue that moral claims cannot be proven to be objectively true or false. They are simply expressions of our personal attitudes, interests or prejudices.Item Developing democratic civic virtues through aesthetic education and design in public schools(2014-08) Orsinger, Ann Kathryn; Gregg, Benjamin Greenwood, 1954-By consciously re-crafting K-12 American public schools through aesthetic design, the United States can improve civic education. Specifically, by paying attention to how school environments affect students through each of their five senses, Americans can create learning environments that encourage the development of civic virtues necessary to support four essential criteria identified by John Dewey as foundational for an ideal democracy: individual expression, communicated experience, associated living, and consciousness of the connection between individuals, their behaviors, and their choices. By examining Dewey’s theory of ideal democracy, and the civic virtues that it requires, I delineate and analyze specific criteria by which to improve American civic education in public schools. Then I show that creating beautiful schools can meet the specified criteria and develop civic virtues in students. These virtues are necessary – although not by themselves sufficient – for healthy democratic citizenship. America today is far from an ideal democracy. Split in our beliefs, unengaged in the civic process, disconnected from fellow citizens, and often unaware of the harm caused by our lack of participation, care, and responsibility, we have a long way to go before our democracy approaches the ideal form proposed by Dewey. Far from deterring our efforts, however, these facts should motivate us to find new and improved ways to educate our young citizens during their years in public schooling. This thesis aims to convince the reader that the conscious crafting of school aesthetics can provide a unique and irreplaceable contribution to that end.Item Differing discourses on art between art history and philosophical aesthetics(Texas Tech University, 2009-05) Haggard, Amy L.; Check, Ed; Calkins, Laura; DeVriese, Todd; Erler, Carolyn; Webb, Mark O.The disciplines of Art History and Philosophical Aesthetics both study and discuss art; however, they do so in dissimilar ways. This dissertation investigates how scholars of either field address primary questions, and how such questioning reveals disciplinary differences in methodologies, analyses, and assessments. Through analysis of responses to the questions of “what is Art?†and “how should Art be evaluated?†this dissertation investigates a historical tracing of approaches to these two questions by important scholars in the fields, including Aristotle, David Hume, Arthur Danto, Giorgio Vasari, Johannes Winckelmann, Erwin Panofsky, and Linda Nochlin in order to discern whether such investigation will reveal relevant discrepancies between the fields. Through this investigation, certain historical trends become evident. Too, certain commonalities and differences between these major voices become evident. Ultimately, however, this direct comparison of questions does not identify the major reasons for discrepancies between the fields for several reasons. Primarily, this format of question comparison derives from the field of philosophy, and analyzing two fields by means of the methodology of one disproportionately advantages that field. Further, discerning the agreements and disagreements of particular scholars reveals differences of opinion between these particular scholars, yet fails to reveal systemic discrepancies between the fields. Conclusions reached in this project, then, suggest that differences between the fields are ingrained in the different natures of either discipline. This project ultimately concludes, then, that some means of translating between the fields, such that either can better understand the other, would enhance cross-disciplinary discussions of the arts.Item "Divinitie, and poesie, met" : Herbert, Puttenham, and the craft of the devotional lyric(2015-05) Sharp, Zachary Daniel; Whigham, Frank; Charney, DavidaRecent scholarship which addresses the presence in George Herbert's poetry of both a rhetoric of courtesy and of Christian piety generally regards the two as incompatible; scholars have sought to show that Herbert renounced this courtly rhetoric entirely, incorporated it somewhat reluctantly into his poetry, or was unable to suppress its global influence on his poetic method. I argue that what previous authors have neglected to consider when accounting for the relationship of courtly rhetoric to Herbert's piety is the analogous function easing anxiety has in both courtesy theory and Reformed approaches to pastoral care. To this end, I aim to demonstrate that Herbert (who was himself a parson) incorporates into his major work, The Temple, a method of easing anxiety that Calvinism obviates: how to gauge and improve one's "rank" or status with regard to election or reprobation. Calvinism, specifically the "experimental predestinarian" tradition in England, transposes matters of agency from the sphere of works to that of faith, to the act of discovering evidence of one's election by close scrutiny of one's disposition toward believing. This, I claim, is similar to courtesy theory's aim to provide a metric for self-advancing conduct. I make the case that the overlap between the therapeutic functions of both predestinarian theology and courtesy theory can be located in the argument for aesthetic discernment found in George Puttenham's poetry manual/courtesy book, The Art of English Poesy. Rather than presenting rules of decorum, Puttenham presents extensive examples that, if one is able to discern from them rules of conduct, argue tacitly for the reader's the requisite faculty of discernment. By presenting a large number of elaborate poetic conceits, I believe that Herbert engages in a process that, by thematizing extensively in his poetry the complexities of Christian conduct, argues in turn for a similarly ingrained faculty of discernment; the ability to discern the "correct" rendering of doctrine in Herbert's poetry functions as evidence of election. Herbert thus works to ameliorate anxieties surrounding matters of election by integrating a pastoral role into his lyrics not wholly at odds with matters of self-advancement.Item Effects of instruction in creative problem solving on cognition, creativity, and satisfaction among ninth grade students in an introduction to world agricultural science and technology course(Texas A&M University, 2007-09-17) Alexander, Kim DarwinThe use of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) as an instructional strategy to increase the creativity levels of students across all levels of the curriculum is currently a popular topic of investigation. Curriculum content and the underlying objectives that are presented to students in public schools have been the subject of close scrutiny since school accountability became a hot topic during the 1980's. However, despite all the efforts to improve student productivity through a well defined curriculum, and possibly because of the increased emphasis on student accountability to reflect that student improvement, concern for the apparent declining creativity levels among students appears to be growing. The purpose of this dissertation was to compare conventional instructional methodologies with those of creative problem solving. It was hypothesized that students' low, high, and total cognition levels, overall creativity levels, and satisfaction with instructional methodologies, improve as a result of instruction through creative problem solving strategies. By improving the levels of creativity within students, they will be better equipped to deal with the complex types of problems the future will present. This study utilized an experimental, posttest only, control group design. Participants were ninth grade students (n=20) who were enrolled in an Introduction to World Agricultural and Science Technology I course. Posttests were administered to measure low, high, and total levels cognition at the conclusion of the course. For this measure of the dependent variable, a forty question (10 true/false, 25 multiple choice, and 5 short answer) test was administered. Pretests and posttests were administered to measure student creativity. A standardized Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) was used as the measure of the dependent variable of creativity. Pretests, mid-tests, and posttests were used to measure student satisfaction. A satisfaction instrument developed by Brashears (2004) was used for the measurement of clarity, delivery, content, and total satisfaction as the dependent measure of satisfaction. These instruments were used to measure the five research hypotheses of the study. Results of the study did not support the hypotheses that significant differences exist between creative problem solving and traditional instructional strategies, as they pertain to student cognition, creativity, and satisfaction. However, although not significant, possibly due to the small sample size, upon closer examination of group means, one can detect definite patterns of greater mean score gains among the CPS group over the traditional group in cognition, creativity, and satisfaction. Based on these findings, this researcher suggests that replications of this study be performed with larger sample sizes in different curriculum areas to further perpetuate the integration of creative problem solving strategies as an effective instructional strategy for all age groups and in all areas of the curriculum.Item Effects of instruction in creative problem solving on cognition, creativity, and satisfaction among ninth grade students in an introduction to world agricultural science and technology course(Texas Tech University, 2007-05) Alexander, Kim Darwin; Shinn, Glen; Baker, Matt; Hartmeister, Fred; Harlin, Julie; Fraze, StevenThe use of Creative Problem Solving (CPS) as an instructional strategy to increase the creativity levels of students across all levels of the curriculum is currently a popular topic of investigation. Curriculum content and the underlying objectives that are presented to students in public schools have been the subject of close scrutiny since school accountability became a hot topic during the 1980's. However, despite all the efforts to improve student productivity through a well defined curriculum, and possibly because of the increased emphasis on student accountability to reflect that student improvement, concern for the apparent declining creativity levels among students appears to be growing. The purpose of this dissertation was to compare conventional instructional methodologies with those of creative problem solving. It was hypothesized that students’ low, high, and total cognition levels, overall creativity levels, and satisfaction with instructional methodologies, improve as a result of instruction through creative problem solving strategies. By improving the levels of creativity within students, they will be better equipped to deal with the complex types of problems the future will present. This study utilized an experimental, posttest only, control group design. Participants were ninth grade students (n=20) who were enrolled in an Introduction to World Agricultural and Science Technology I course. Posttests were administered to measure low, high, and total levels cognition at the conclusion of the course. For this measure of the dependent variable, a forty question (10 true/false, 25 multiple choice, and 5 short answer) test was administered. Pretests and posttests were administered to measure student creativity. A standardized Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) was used as the measure of the dependent variable of creativity. Pretests, mid-tests, and posttests were used to measure student satisfaction. A satisfaction instrument developed by Brashears (2004) was used for the measurement of clarity, delivery, content, and total satisfaction as the dependent measure of satisfaction. These instruments were used to measure the five research hypotheses of the study. Results of the study did not support the hypotheses that significant differences exist between creative problem solving and traditional instructional strategies, as they pertain to student cognition, creativity, and satisfaction. However, although not significant, possibly due to the small sample size, upon closer examination of group means, one can detect definite patterns of greater mean score gains among the CPS group over the traditional group in cognition, creativity, and satisfaction. Based on these findings, this researcher suggests that replications of this study be performed with larger sample sizes in different curriculum areas to further perpetuate the integration of creative problem solving strategies as an effective instructional strategy for all age groups and in all areas of the curriculum.Item Eloquence in a new key : toward a theory of presentational communication(2016-08) Pye, Danielle Renee; Stroud, Scott R.; Brummett, Barry; Hardesty, Sharon J; Gunn, Joshua; Sandelands, Lloyd EPreviously, scholars have argued that the introduction of televised politics ushered in an age of political decision-making motivated by emotion instead of facts. One of the central questions motivating this dissertation is: if candidates are now elected based on feeling over fact, should this be cause for concern? In general, when it comes to political decision-making, the underlying assumption has been that we should check our emotions at the door. Dating back to Aristotle, the rational paradigm has been a pervasive influence in Western thought, and most political communication theorists suggest that the best solution is to return to a bygone era of rational discourse. There are three reasons to be troubled by such suggestions. First, it is not entirely clear that such an era of rational discourse ever actually existed. Second, even if we accept that previous generations experienced politics more rationally and less emotionally, it may not be possible to go back. Finally, it may be that emotional decision-making, political seduction, and affective campaigning are not as irrational as previous research suggests. Drawing from the philosophy of Susanne K. Langer, this project forwards the notion that presentational symbols function differently from, but just as rationally as, propositional logic. Because of her unique distinction between representational symbolism and presentational symbolism, Langer offers a basis for a novel theory of rhetoric that dissolves the dichotomy between reason and emotion. Based on her theory, this dissertation questions the dual assumptions that rational discourse is our best means of political decision-making and that the emotional campaign is something to fear. Through analysis of Obama’s 2008 campaign, this dissertation calls for eloquence in a new key. By identifying points of intersection between research in philosophy, sociology and communication, this project demonstrates that just as discursive rhetoric can be valid or invalid, argued well or argued poorly, there are better and worse forms of presentational rhetoric. After recognizing that not all presentational communication is manipulative or irrational, the next step is developing a better method of evaluating presentational symbols, and this is a first step toward that goal.Item The evaluation of contemporary art with art historical and market criteria : the 3C Model(2011-12) Richter, Till Florian Alexander; Shiff, Richard; Magee, Stephen P.; Barnitz, Jacqueline E.; Rather, Susan W.; Mahajan, VijayFor the most recent contemporary art no art historical or price records exist that can testify of its value. However, the market for contemporary art is enormous and the art historical interest in it is equally important. If we can find out how to evaluate contemporary art, it will further the art historical understanding, the market transparence and the sales of contemporary art thus having an influence also on the creation of art (William Grampp). The art historical verdict and the market verdict are linked. This has been proven by a number of economists (Frey, Galenson, Grampp). The question is how they are linked. Basically, both art history and the market contribute to the creation of value in art. What is it that makes art valuable? What are the criteria used in art history and in the market to evaluate art? The focus is on European and US American art between 1970 and today. Evaluation, be it aesthetic or financial, is a process of decision making. Decisions are based on criteria that must be conscious at least after the decision is made (Clement Greenberg). In the art world, certain decision makers are more influential than others. Therefore the dissertation analyzes the most influential positions in art theory and in the art market and distills the essential criteria used. The dissertation seeks to advance the research on this fundamental question of the evaluation of art through a more comprehensive and interdisciplinary study than those previously undertaken. It presents a model that integrates the most important criteria from both sides and allows a more reliable evaluation of contemporary art. The 3C Model explains the ensemble of Quality-Value-Price through three criteria: Change, Connectivity and Context (Time, Space, People). The 3C Model can be used as a general basis in the discourse on value and quality. It is a structural method that can be applied to almost any art from any period. The model is exercised here using Gerhard Richter, François Morellet, Julian Schnabel, Jeff Koons, Sophie Calle and Pipilotti Rist as examples.Item Genius and the Origins of Art in Kant's Aesthetics(2013-05) Silbernagel, A; DiPoppa, Francesca; Ribeiro, AnnaThe account of artistic genius given by Immanuel Kant in the Critique of Judgment functions to explain how fine art is possible under Kant’s aesthetics. However, the cryptic quality of this account has led to its neglect in the secondary literature, where it is treated as an afterthought, episodic, or tangential. By clarifying Kant’s account of genius, this paper aims to secure the possibility of fine art under Kant’s aesthetics. In section one I summarize Kant’s account of aesthetic judgment, and explain how it gives rise to the problem of fine art, or the question of how artistic beauty is possible. Kant’s answer to this question is his account of genius, essential to which is genius’s connection to nature. In section two I clarify this connection, which involves specifying what the elements of genius are, their origins, and how they contribute to the production of beautiful art. On my reading, nature supplies genius with some, but not all, of the tools and materials that are required for the production of beautiful art. One important implication of my reading, which is discussed in section three, is that Kant’s genius entails the capacity to produce, not just fine art, but sublime art as well.