The Transformation Of Art Worlds

Diana Crane is a leading figure in sociology of culture in America.Based on Robert Merton’s paradigm,Crane’s pioneering research of the outer reward systems and internal changes of postwar American art worlds has a far-reaching influence in this field.This dissertation aims to provide a both thorough and critical analysis of the sociological approach of Crane.There are two main aspects of this dissertation.One is on Crane’s theory of reward systems,namely the institutions of patronage and distribution in art worlds,and the other is about the restrictive and normative features of the organizational context of art worlds.To fully explain and review these questions,the whole thesis will be composed of three chapters.The first chapter deals with the patronage,because Crane defines the national government as a new patron which deeply shapes the institutional structure of art worlds in postwar America.Crane insists that this emerging role brings out wide transformations,including institutional changes of museums and social role of artists.The second chapter illustrates Crane’s viewpoints on functions and structures of art galleries,and explains how art galleries worked and are working.The third chapters mainly reviews Crane’s sociological view on changes of artistic styles.I will argue that Crane’s penetrating analysis unfolds how artistic styles are developed and restrained in social institutions,but this theoretical paradigm also has some shortcomings.In five chapters the main aim of this dissertation has been reached.The author suggests that Diana Crane’s empirical investigations make a great contribution to the sociology of art.Being a model of systematic research of art worlds,Crane successfully examines the transformation of institutional and normative change in art worlds.Meanwhile,Crane explores the boundary of this field.Unlike many of her peers,Crane doesn’t turn away from problems of "meanings" of signs,and boldly tries to account for complex variations of artistic styles.More or less bound by the theoretical paradigm of sociology,Crane doesn’t sufficiently review the historical context of some concepts,such as "avant-garde".Nevertheless,Crane’s works undoubtedly help to scientifically understand what culture is and how it works.