21st Annual Student Research Conference
The Creation and Interpretation of Marcel Duchamp's Ready-mades
Katherine C. Tullmann
Dr. Patricia Burton, Faculty Mentor
In my paper I will be focusing on Marcel Duchamp's ready-mades. A ready-made is an ordinary object that Duchamp found or bought and elevated to the status of art, removing it from its typical purpose. The most famous ready-made is Fountain (1917), a urinal which Duchamp purchased and submitted to an exhibition. I will argue that, with the ready-mades, the focus is less on the appearance of the piece than how Duchamp instructs his audience on how to view and understand his art and all following art. To do this he must shape and educate his audience. The viewer, therefore, becomes an important component in the construction of meaning of a work of art. Two philosophers that I will focus on in my paper are Augustine and Arthur Danto, both of whom offer information on the interpretation and understanding of art in their texts.
Keywords: philosophy of art, Duchamp, ready-mades, interpretation, St. Augustine, Arthur Danto, artworld
Topic(s):Philosophy & Religion
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 41-4
Location: VH 1212
Time: 2:00