The Specificity of Criticism and its Need for Philosophy 1

If there is a crisis in art criticism, it would seem tempting to turn to philosophy for a solution. I will argue that philosophy is not in a position to provide a solution to the problems faced by art criticism, since it is implicated in them. While both art criticism and theory are inadequate alone, each calls for supplementation by the other. ² This mutual need cannot—for reasons I will go on to explore—be fulfilled in a synthesis, but when subjected to a genealogy, might indicate the nature of the problem. In the first section of this paper, I will consider the determinations of the problem faced by art criticism today. In the second, I will attempt to defend the specificity of art criticism as a practice against “sublation” (Aufhebung) into philosophy. This defense will hinge on a radical notion of judgment which may be retrieved from Kant’s third Critique. ³