ABSTRACT
In the years following World War II, Ludwig Wittgenstein acquired the status of a grey eminence in the field of aesthetics. A number of the most reputed philosophers of art from this period (Barrett, Cavell, Tilghman, Weitz, Wollheim, Ziff) were significantly influenced by him. This influence was sufficiently strong for it to be reasonable to speak of a Wittgensteinian tradition in art philosophy. Yet it is not Wittgenstein’s own reflections on aesthetic matters that have stood centre stage. His own voice has been heard only to a modest degree. This is of course largely due to the fact that Wittgenstein himself never wrote anything that was intended as a contribution specifically to the philosophy of art. On the other hand, he did give lectures on the subject on two occasions. 1 In addition to the transcripts of these lectures, Vermischte Bemerkungen (Culture and Value) is a useful source for Wittgenstein’s views on art, both on the private and the philosophical levels. 2 And in addition to that, there are numerous passages scattered throughout his published works that take up questions of aesthetics. This is true not least of Philosophische Grammatik, Philosophische Untersuchungen, The Blue and Brown Books and Zettel. Any person intent on giving Wittgenstein’s own opinions a hearing in the philosophy of art debate is therefore not short of material.
