當代藝術是一門難以駕馭的領域，不僅在歷史時期的劃分上存在諸多爭議，現代／後現代／當代等階段不易清楚定義與區分，而且隨著各種實驗性質的創作手法出籠，極力擴大了藝術創作的範疇，藝術的本質定義已瀕臨瓦解。面對這等藝術，我們到底還能說些什麼？雖如此，正因為如此，反而值得藝術社會學一探究竟。一方面，作為社會現象的一環，當代藝術無論如何乖張，卻是不爭的社會事實，仍立基在歷史發展的契機之上。就其美學形式脈絡與社會文化進程而言，皆有跡可尋，值得了解。當代藝術家亦是社會行動者的一種典型，透過藝術的發聲，展現其特殊的當代存在感與行動邏輯。如是，若能掌握古典傳統藝術到現代前衛藝術的過渡歷程，本是理解文化意義轉型機制的絕佳切入點。另一方面，我們皆好奇「當代藝術如何可能？」----充滿疏離與艱澀的創作主題和技法，何以能夠堂而皇之在藝術史上註冊一席之地？社會學對於藝術場域中各種建制、法則、典範與價值觀的研究，將引領我們考察當代藝術如何落實於現世？依靠哪些建制而運作？繼而產生哪些社會革新與社會衝突？以及如何在面臨瓶頸與衝擊時進入轉型？

本課程以循序漸進的方式，首先踏上二十世紀前後的西方藝術之旅，按部就班追溯近現代藝術界逐步產生的各種基進變革(radical change)。雖然沒有任一流派堪稱此基進轉捩的代表，然而整體上從馬內(E. Manet)以來繼之以印象派的發展，這一階段確實大篇幅地讓西方藝術史的語彙遠離傳統的古典風格。課程第一單元遂以基礎打底功夫為要，力求把握二十世紀以降、構成現／當代藝術主調內容的幾大流派之要點。第二單元當中，我們針對現代主義藝術的精神與原則進行檢討，繼而聚焦於「前衛藝術／先鋒藝術」(l’art avant-garde)的概念，探索它與當代藝術的關連，包括繼承、批判、交融、斷絕等各種交互作用。「前衛」、「現代」、「當代」的概念向來難以彼此釐清，呈現重疊糾葛的纏繞形態。本課程因而選擇具社會學意涵的文本，以具體的藝術現象和相應發展而出的制度機構作為討論的對象，著重前衛藝術的創新性、典範顛覆等先行意義，也將處理前衛藝術在時間上的短暫性與被超越性。此單元將閱讀美國社會學家Diana Crane的著作《前衛藝術的轉型》，以1940-1985年間紐約藝術界發展為例，觀察前衛藝術於二十世紀下半葉所面臨的轉變，揭示創造性的藝術活動，其實不失為社會機制運作的結果。第三單元中，我們以哲學家 Arthur Danto的理論為基礎，朝向當代／後現代／後歷史藝術批判，思考當代藝術是否已走上所謂的終結？而在某種、多種意義下已告終結的藝術，又如何能具體在藝術市場上成為走紅的商品形態？這學期的課程除了文本的深入耕讀之外，將格外注重小組成員之間的討論與合作，盼能透過組員間定期而紮實的對話，在共同面對形貌詭譎的當代藝術之際，彼此激盪出思維的花火，同時保有獨立的思考空間，以尋找自我面向當代藝術的姿態。

Contemporary art is a field that is difficult to control. Not only are there many disputes over the division of historical periods, and it is difficult to clearly define and distinguish modern, postmodern, and contemporary stages, but also with the emergence of various experimental creative techniques that greatly expand the scope of artistic creation, the essential definition of art is on the verge of collapse. In the face of this kind of art, what else can we say? Even so, and precisely because of this, it is worthy of a closer look from the sociology of art. On the one hand, as a part of social phenomena, no matter how perverse contemporary art is, it is an indisputable social fact and is still based on the opportunities of historical development. In terms of its aesthetic form context and social and cultural processes, there are traces to be found and it is worth understanding. Contemporary artists are also a typical example of social actors. Through the voice of art, they show their special contemporary sense of existence and action logic. In this case, if we can grasp the transition process from classical traditional art to modern avant-garde art, it will be an excellent entry point for understanding the transformation mechanism of cultural significance. On the other hand, we all wonder, "How is contemporary art possible?" How can creative themes and techniques that are full of alienation and difficulty be able to register a place in art history? Sociological research on various institutions, rules, models and values ​​in the art field will lead us to examine how contemporary art is implemented in the real world. What institutions does it rely on to operate? What social innovations and conflicts will follow? And how to enter transformation when facing bottlenecks and impacts?

This course adopts a step-by-step approach, first embarking on a journey of Western art before and after the twentieth century, and tracing step by step the various radical changes that have gradually occurred in the modern and contemporary art world. Although no single school can be called the representative of this fundamental transition, overall the development from E. Manet to Impressionism did indeed move the vocabulary of Western art history away from the traditional classical style to a large extent. The first unit of the course is based on the basic skills, and strives to grasp the key points of several major schools that have formed the main content of modern/contemporary art since the 20th century. In the second unit, we reviewed the spirit and principles of modernist art, and then focused on the concept of “avant-garde art/avant-garde art” (l’art avant-garde), exploring its relationship with contemporary art, including various interactions such as inheritance, criticism, blending, and severance. The concepts of "avant-garde", "modern" and "contemporary" have always been difficult to clarify each other, showing an overlapping and entangled form. Therefore, this course selects texts with sociological implications, taking specific artistic phenomena and correspondingly developed institutional institutions as the objects of discussion, focusing on the pioneering significance of avant-garde art such as its innovativeness and paradigm subversion, and will also deal with the ephemerality and transcendence of avant-garde art in time. This unit will read "The Transformation of Avant-Garde Art" by American sociologist Diana Crane, taking the development of the New York art world from 1940 to 1985 as an example, observing the transformation that avant-garde art faced in the second half of the twentieth century, and revealing that creative artistic activities are actually the result of the operation of social mechanisms. In the third unit, based on the theory of philosopher Arthur Danto, we move towards contemporary/postmodern/posthistorical art criticism and think about whether contemporary art has reached the so-called end? And how can art that has ended in some or multiple senses become a popular commodity form in the art market? In addition to the in-depth reading of texts, this semester's courses will pay special attention to discussions and cooperation among group members. It is hoped that through regular and solid dialogue among group members, when facing the bizarre contemporary art together, they can stimulate each other's thinking, while maintaining independent thinking space, so as to find their own attitude towards contemporary art.

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