Modernism and modern art in Adorno's late work

Abstract

During the internship abroad, we intend to develop the hypothesis set forth in our doctoral research, namely that the notion of "modern art" undergoes important changes throughout Adorno's writings. Following our research schedule, we shall focus on Adorno's late work, insofar as it shows a broader conception of artistic modernism. For instance, in essays such as "Art and the Arts" and "Transparencies on Film", written in the 1960s, Adorno not only offers a reappraisal of cinema as a form of "authentic" art - which contrasts with his previous writings, where he regarded cinema as a regressive medium - but also suggests a possible "enlargement" of the concept of art due to the ongoing "imbrication" [Verfransung] of artistic genres. We intend to show that these reappraisals are not accidental. They are instead connected with a larger context: the significant changes in postwar artistic production challenged Adorno's earlier interpretive coordinates and called for an expansion of his notion of modern art. By mapping these changes, we aim to grasp the asymmetries and discontinuities that pervade his aesthetics. Thus, the internship abroad will provide the opportunity to debate and develop our research, and will also afford us the possibility of surveying Adorno's unpublished material, which is available in his archives in Germany. (AU)