Thinking About Adomo's Idea Of Cultural Industry And Modern Art

Theodor W. Adorno is one of the most famous representatives in Frankfurt School and one of the founders of social-critical theory. His aesthetic theory includes two important parts, one is the criticism of cultural industry, the other is construction of modem art. He was used to thinking about Aesthetics and art in . philosophical way. Few scholars integrate his philosophical idea with Aesthetic theory well in China. Most of them think of these problems respectively. The author tries to organize his modern aesthetic theory on the base of negative dialectics, beginning with thinking of enlightenment. The author hopes that more and more scholars do research on Adomo's philosophical aesthetics. This paper is divided four parts: thinking of enlightenment, criticism of cultural industry, negative dialectics, and the construction of modern art. Enlightenment is an civilization activity of remaking nature and a rational activity of getting rid of mystique of the would. Adorno thought of enlightenment at the point of modernistic variation and discovered the inevitability that enlightenment converted to myth and ration became non-ration.Cultural industry is the result of the development of ration in the modern capitalism society. It took place of the real art and controlled modern society and life. Adomo found another reason why art had been on the wane.Negative dialectics studies non-conceptual, special things and nonidentity. It denies that contradiction is the unity of opposites and thinks negative is absolute. On the base of these ideas Adorno founded his theory of modern art.Adorno analyzed the basic condition of modern capitalism and found that daily life had been managed wholly and Cultural industry couldn't help him save human being from despair. So he had to fall back on aesthetics and art. Variation is a common phenomena or at present and the art is no longer pure. So the sole form of art is anti-reality modern art. The Characteristics of modern art is negative. Its artistic traits are: differing from the reality, foresight, spirituality, non-conceptuality, Unity of autonomism and society, difficulty in understanding, and refusing communication. The modern art has two functions, one is criticizing modern capitalism, the other is saving human being.Adorno criticized modern industrial Society vehemently but he simply denied reality and society from concept. He only opposed reality spiritually by modern art. Sohe couldn't; his dream of redemption of culture and art come true.Adomo's philosophical and aesthetic idea is very profound and unique. His theory not only plays an important role at his age, but also greatly: inspires us at present.