Food for Thought with Dr Klaus Vieweg.

Hegel and the Dutch Painting of the Golden Age: Modern Art as Free Art

12:30-13:00: Sandwich lunch

13:00-14:00: Presentation and Discussion

About the Discussion

What connects Hegel with Rembrandt and Co. What are the important points of contact between the grand master of modern philosophizing and the virtuosos of Dutch painting? Why does Hegel, as an outstanding representative of the school of German Idealism, the golden age of modern philosophy, recognize in the paintings of the Dutch school of the Golden Age, a revolution in painting? Why is Hegel fascinated by such pictures of proud citizens, vegetable and herring sellers, the poor and beggars, landscapes, farmers at harvest and in the inn, women playing the piano, canals with skaters, bouquets of flowers and breakfast tables - depictions of seemingly banal scenes of everyday life?

By laying the foundations for a modern aesthetic theory, Hegel provides decisive arguments against classicist and romanticist devaluations of Dutch painting, his philosophy of art brought about a paradigm shift towards the art of modernity as free art. Hegel can be regarded as the founder of a modern aesthetic of painting in the sense of combining philosophy and art history.

About the Speaker

Prof. Klaus Vieweg is a leading international authority on Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and German Idealism. He is Professor of Philosophy at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, where he has taught since 1994, has been a full professor since 2000, and served twice as Chair of the Institute of Philosophy.

He was also a visiting professor and visiting researcher in the USA, Japan, Italy, China, the Czech Republic, Chile and Portugal.

His research centres on Hegel’s philosophy, especially freedom and practical philosophy. His acclaimed biography Hegel: The Philosopher of Freedom (2019) became a German bestseller and has been translated into multiple languages.
His other major works include The Idealism of Freedom (2020) and Anfänge. Eine andere Geschichte der Philosophie (2023).
A highly sought-after speaker, Klaus brings Hegel’s ideas on freedom and reason vividly to contemporary audiences.

About the Series

This will be the next instalment in our monthly Food for Thought series, hosted in partnership with the Vinson Centre at the University of Buckingham. The purpose of this series is to foster high-level academic discussion on themes within the classical liberal tradition, touching on economics, philosophy, history, law, and related disciplines. In turn, we hope to form a community of academics, policymakers, professionals, and students united by the exchange of ideas and life-long learning.

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