ABSTRACT
Opponents of the formalist view emphasize the importance of context in understanding an art work; they argue that originality is only one aspect of aesthetic value that the Appearance Theory cannot explain. To the contextualist, everything we know about an art work’s history, cultural role and moral qualities enters into our idea of its aesthetic value. It may seem irrational that Etruscan statues long enjoyed for their beauty were removed from view at the Metropolitan Museum when they were discovered to be forgeries (Meyer 1983: 78). But the contextualist insists that a work of art is valued not just for its appearance but also for its connection to a culture. Thus, the forged Etruscan objects, because they are not genuine, may subtly reflect the culture and time in which they were copied in ways that misrepresent Etruscan culture.
