A relevance theory of art

Abstract

The paper develops a new theory of art based on Paul Grice’s concept of relevance and his cooperative principle and tries to explain through these concepts certain riddles of art theory. My thesis is that works of art differ from artifacts that are aesthetically indistinguishable from them in having relevance and acquiring meaning through relevance. Artifacts as a broad category that includes works of art embody certain social norms but, with the exception of works of art, have no relevance. Relevance of works of art is defined, especially after modernism, by their contribution to a discourse in art history, therefore art is a kind that Ian Hacking calls interactive kind: it reacts to the categories applied to it. The work of art therefore reacts to expectations of the art world and the audience, by, among other things, breaking the rules of the art world. This makes works relevant in a game theoretical sense. In conclusion I try to suggest that one function of art is to serve as a value-detector that makes communication about values possible.