What terms do we use to describe and evaluate art, and how do we judge if art is good, and if it is for the social good?
In How Art Can Be Thought Allan deSouza investigates such questions and the popular terminology through which art is discussed, valued, and taught. Adapting art viewing to contemporary demands within a rapidly changing world, deSouza outlines how art functions as politicized culture within a global industry.
In addition to offering new pedagogical strategies for MFA programs and the training of artists, he provides an extensive analytical glossary of some of the most common terms used to discuss art while focusing on their current and changing usage.
He also shows how these terms may be crafted to new artistic and social practices, particularly in what it means to decolonize the places of display and learning. DeSouza's work will be invaluable to the casual gallery visitor and the arts professional alike, to all those who regularly look at, think about, and make art-especially art students and faculty, artists, art critics, and curators.
About the Author
Al-An (Allan) deSouza is Associate Professor and Chair of Art Practice at the University of California, Berkeley. His work has been shown nationally and internationally, including at the Phillips Collection, the Whitney Museum, the Centre Pompidou, the National Museum of African Art, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Industry Reviews
"Allan deSouza has done the art world an extraordinary service. . . . As a handbook, How Art Can Be Thought is stunning and successful-deeply informed by critical theory, yet in all aspects oriented toward practical use in the field, so to speak." -- Taylor Eggan * Discursive Impulse *
"This book is a detailed, thorough, and comprehensive discussion concerning all aspects of contemporary art. de Souza opens a 'can of worms' on almost every page, exposing long-held myths about art practice, what art is, and if in fact we can really say anything meaningful about the whole 'art world' at all. . . . Very well written and highly readable. It is a must read for all art educators, art students, curators, art critics and faculty at academic institutions where art is still included in the curriculum." -- Rob Harle * Leonardo Reviews *
"Juggling . . . the conceptual and practical . . . is no easy task and deSouza does a good job. . . . One of the strengths of the book is deSouza's reflection on language - its importance to the project of decolonization and to artistic meaning/expression. -- Alpesh Kantilal Patel * Hyperallergic *
"DeSouza shatters the trope of the handbook as static, watered-down theory. Instead, we enter an electric dialogue steeped in the vein of Paulo Freire and bell hooks. . . . With its accessible writing and contemporary perspective, How Art Can Be Thought should be required reading for art educators, administrators, art historians, critics and those interested in critical pedagogy." -- Ashley Hosbach * ARLIS/NA Reviews *
"How Art Can Be Thought is indeed a practical handbook and offers a comprehensive account of current art debates in the art world. To decolonize those debates, deSouza provides a rich and detailed pedagogical framework that can be adapted to shape new debates." -- Uschi Klein * Visual Studies *
