Ethics and aesthetics in contemporary art, architecture and urbanism - a realistic critique

• Autor(a) principal: Lima, Fellipe de Andrade Abreu e
• Data de Publicação: 2010
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Pós. Revista do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Arquitetura e Urbanismo da FAUUSP (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://www.revistas.usp.br/posfau/article/view/43706
• topic: Arte; arquitetura; urbanismo; crítica; estética; ética; Arte; arquitectura; urbanismo; crítica; estética; ética; Art; architecture; urbanism; critique; aesthetics; ethics

Art, architecture and urbanism. Crisis of aesthetic and ethic values. This essay intends to be a point of light within the absolute timidity in which these fields currently lie. Based on the concepts of "dialectics," "idealism" and "alienation," this article argues that it is impossible to have art, architecture and urbanism condensing ethical and aesthetic values of high social worth within a capitalist system. Ever since the rise of this economic system, the arts have been unable to expose the real values of social change, except for some rare exceptions. The work of Georg Lukács can shed some light on the reasons behind the crisis the arts have faced since the mid 16th century, when the capitalist system gathered momentum. This applies especially to architecture. In the 20th century, we witnessed the birth of the Modern Movement in architecture and its effects on the arts. The emptiness of aesthetic values mirrors the absence of ethical values. The problem has become a problem of Man as a social being. This Man's ontology represents a key to understanding this problem. To this effect, rekindling the emancipating of arts and architecture becomes our mission, particularly when we perceive that "reality is as trivial and mediocre as any truly poetic enhancement" seems a bit odd. We are so used to the lack of individual and social critique that we have not managed to overcome this in any respect.