Susan Sontag's 'Against Interpretation' Revisited: The Crisis of Art Criticism

Pericle Guaglianone argues that the crisis in art criticism stems from an over-reliance on interpretation at the expense of aesthetic judgment. He revisits Susan Sontag's 1966 essay 'Against Interpretation,' which called for an 'erotics of art' over hermeneutics. Guaglianone contends that criticism has become exclusively focused on decoding concepts, neglecting the 'coefficient of art'—a term from Marcel Duchamp referring to an artwork's efficacy. He notes that while there is more art writing than ever due to the web, much of it is superfluous. The essay cites examples like Giorgione's 'The Tempest' and Maurizio Cattelan's 'L.O.V.E.' as works that enchant despite being mysterious. Guaglianone calls for criticism to awaken from its 'hermeneutic torpor' and re-engage with aesthetic judgment, distinguishing between 'practical criticism' (selection and promotion) and 'theoretical criticism' (articles and reviews). He emphasizes that even conceptual art must 'work' aesthetically. The piece was published on Artribune.