As an alternative to the view that everything from "abstract art" and "performance art" to "hyperfiction" and "chance music" can be considered art, this text explores the philosophy of art of the author Ayn Rand, which offers an analysis of the cognitive and emotional function of art.
Cultural icon Ayn Rand (1905-1982) was known as much for her philosophy as for her fiction. Her original theory of esthetics, which attacks many "masterpieces" of modernist art, is as combative and controversial as any of her work, but until now has received little serious scrutiny. In What Art Is, the authors demonstrate that Rand's ideas are supported by evidence from other academic fields.
