State of the Art - Art of State

To Polish philosopher Wladislaw Tatarkiewicz, we owe a 3 volume history of aesthetics, and a three-part disjunctive definition of art as "A construction of forms or a reproduction of things or an expression of experiences capable of producing delinght or emotions or shock"
A recent initiative by young Swis artists, http://www.kunstfreiheit.ch, adresses the question of whether copyright legislation and freedom of art are compatible.
In fact, modern copyright legislation tends to be more prohibitive than permissive when it comes to commercial aspects of art production. Besides the fact that (post)modern art is in perpetual conflict with cultural traditions and therefore tends to confirm Tatarkiewicz's definition, another aspect of aesthetics in the tradition of Baumgarten (philosophy of perception) merits to be studied: the question whether politics are a form of art. George W.Bush's grotesque scenario of political organization of the world under American leadership, Pope Benedict's "Stubengelehrten" approach to interreligious dialogue, the destruction of the Buddha statues by the Talibans of Afghanistan, and last but not least Al Qaeda's activities from 09/11 to Madrid and London, present time political activties seem to correspond more and more to the Tatarkiewicz definition of art than to the serious search of solutions for practical problems that are the traditional basis of politics.
In this perspective, copyright legislation will some day help politicians declare their activities as works of art, on the ground that they have been able to provoke delight, emotion and shock...

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