I think that l'inactuel's answer was the most direct response to your query about power and aesthetics. If you insist on exploring aesthetics in its interconnectedness with power --and not merely in its relation to sublimation, creativity, escapism, etc.--you need to pay attention to the Le Courage... lecture and to the distinction between a political/transformative engagement with existence and a sublimatory/escapist engagement. This is the difference between creating another world from a Platonic perspective and from a Cynic perspective, for example, as explained in the lectures. There is a lot there about how to 'transform' self and world (and thus be intricately involved in 'power') and how to create different/other discourses and practices (that are not aiming at changing the world, although they may change perspectives on the world, etc.). It is a lot more complicated than that and needs a serious enaggement with the text--as you were invited to do by l'inactuel. Now if you are not interested in this approach to power and aesthetics as a tool of analysis, and would prefer to work with your own different understanding of aesthetics that is not as political, you can use the early texts of Foucault where aesthetics had little if anything to do with this understanding of transformative practices (his engagement with Blanchot, Roussel, Bataille, Nietzsche, surrealisme, ..). There, you can find an easier and more readily acceptable approach to aesthetics as resistance and/or a 'tragic' relatedness to (im)possibilities. The best compilation in English of selections from this early period can be found in the first part of the New Press Essential Works: Aesthetics, Method, and Epistemology (1998).
Best,
Fouad Kalouche 1315 College Avenue Reading, PA 19604 (610)929-0007 fkalouche@xxxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2010 09:38:25 -0400
> From: teresa.mayne@xxxxxxxxx
> To: foucault-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [Foucault-L] Aesthetics and Power
>
> Hi Consirération,
>
> While I certainly do appreciate your opinion, and aside from debating what
> Foucault actually thought. I very simply see more in Foucault's work than
> the strict separation between aesthetics in the case of art and the
> metaphysical creation of how the world is represented. I find creativity
> central to both traditional art and the world as representation. One of the
> differences I find is that the latter is part of an ideological (I know
> loaded term in regards to Foucault, but right now that is what is coming to
> mind) bind that eludes the perception of it as a creation, the former is
> used to channel creativity in an 'acceptable' manner. The way in which I am
> approaching the topic is through power. Anyways, my goal is not to
> regurgitate Foucault. While I don't think me and him saw the world in the
> same way in regards to this topic, I also don't expect that (that would be
> extremely boring - Foucault and I wouldn't learn anything). I am writing
> this on the fly, but I will certainly give your comments more thought.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Teresa
>
> 2010/6/20 Consirération Inactuelle <linactuel@xxxxxxxxx>
>
> > Hello,
> >
> > I think that in a foucaldian perspective, aesthetics has certainly nothing
> > to do with metaphysical or cognitive problems. It can not have something to
> > do with "sense impressions" or the question of consciouseness or how the
> > world is created. When Foucault talks about "aesthetics", he generally
> > designates something like artistic creation, the problem of "style"...
> >
> > In this way, in "Le courage de la vérité" (his last courses at the Collège
> > de France, 1984), there is an interesting lecture about the "aesthetics of
> > existence" (esthétiques de l'existence) in opposition with the
> > "methaphysics
> > of the soul" (métaphysique de l'âme), when he compares Plato's Alcibiade
> > and
> > Lachès. Explaining that these two points of view were deeply footed in the
> > history of occidental thinking, but that the second (metaphysics of the
> > soul) would became dominant in our modernity. But with the cynical impulse
> > and its transformations, the aesthetics of life would remain silently, in
> > other forms.
> >
> > In the same lectures, Fouc. also emphasize the importance of some kind of
> > scandalous esthetics of the the cynical life as part of the truth-telling
> > conditions. This tuth-telling being linked with "true life" ("la vraie
> > vie",
> > not to be confused with "real life") and referred to the problem of the
> > "other world" (autre monde), the question of militantism. In this way, he
> > also gives an interesting interpretation of modern art, and its subversive
> > function, as some kind of possible anti-platonist and anti-aristotelist
> > cynical vestige that can be found in the subversive function of art, for
> > exemple.
> >
> >
> > 2010/6/17 Chetan Vemuri <aryavartacnsrn@xxxxxxxxx>
> >
> > > He wrote alot in the 60's regarding the relations between artworks and
> > > power relations/epistemology. His writings on painting and literature
> > > somewhat fall under this category. He also was in the midst of writing
> > > a substantial book on the connection between painting and politics
> > > with regards to the work of Manet. It was never finished but a few
> > > Tunisian lectures roughly sketching the work of that book have been
> > > published in a new little volume : "Manet and the Object of Painting"
> > > or some such thing. It doesn't get to the crux of what Foucault wanted
> > > to do with Manet but its a start.
> > >
> > > On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 6:03 PM, Teresa Mayne <teresa.mayne@xxxxxxxxx>
> > > wrote:
> > > > Thank you!
> > > >
> > > > On Wed, Jun 16, 2010 at 4:27 PM, Douglas Olena <doug@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> Try the arts of self construction found in "The Politics of Truth",
> > > >> especially in 'What is Enlightenment?' The concept of transgression is
> > > >> important and writing as self construction. Try the end of the
> > > >> Rousseau article. Look at self construction as an aesthetic project.
> > > >>
> > > >> Sent from my iPhone
> > > >>
> > > >> On Jun 16, 2010, at 2:52 PM, Teresa Mayne <teresa.mayne@xxxxxxxxx>
> > > >> wrote:
> > > >>
> > > >> > Hello again. It's been a while, but I was wondering if anyone knows
> > > >> > if
> > > >> > Foucault wrote anything on the relation between aesthics and power?
> > > >> > I am
> > > >> > writing a review on 'The Political Life of Sensation' by Panagia and
> > > >> > it
> > > >> > would be a great help if I could add some more depth to my theory
> > with
> > > >> > 'sweet pea's' help. I understand aesthetics to be a broader
> > > >> > conceptual
> > > >> > apparatus, that depending on the relation to which, we construct our
> > > >> > relationship towards the world through consciousness's
> > > >> > interpretation of
> > > >> > it (i.e. representation). So, the work doesn't have to necessarily
> > > >> > revolve
> > > >> > around the traditional conception of art, but if we could find
> > > >> > something
> > > >> > that plays with it a bit would be absolutely brilliant.
> > > >> >
> > > >> > Thanks,
> > > >> >
> > > >> > Teresa
> > > >> > _______________________________________________
> > > >> > Foucault-L mailing list
> > > >> _______________________________________________
> > > >> Foucault-L mailing list
> > > >>
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > Foucault-L mailing list
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Chetan Vemuri
> > > West Des Moines, IA
> > > aryavartacnsrn@xxxxxxxxx
> > > (319)-512-9318
> > > "You say you want a Revolution! Well you know, we all want to change the
> > > world"
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Foucault-L mailing list
> > >
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> >
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