---
product_id: 4532631
title: "Art as Experience"
brand: "john dewey"
price: "$155468"
currency: COP
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 11
url: https://www.desertcart.co/products/4532631-art-as-experience
store_origin: CO
region: Colombia
---

# Art as Experience

**Brand:** john dewey
**Price:** $155468
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Art as Experience by john dewey
- **How much does it cost?** $155468 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co](https://www.desertcart.co/products/4532631-art-as-experience)

## Best For

- john dewey enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted john dewey brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Art as Experience

## Images

![Art as Experience - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51BzvtjKLTL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Seminal Analysis of Aesthetic Theory
  

*by S***R on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 19, 2011*

John Dewey was an American philosopher of the late 19th and 20th century best known for his espousal of a "pragmatic" philosophy and progressive political ideas, but he also wrote about Art.  Art as Experience is not a book per se, but rather a rewriting of a series of lectures he gave on the "philosophy of art" at Harvard in 1931.  Dewey's pragmatic philosophy emphasizing social relations between humans was hugely influential in social sciences like sociology, where he clearly inspired writers like Erving Goffman and anthropology (see Roy Rappaport)  His influence has been less notable in the field of aesthetics and art theory, and that's a shame, because in my mind, Art as Experience is the best book about the role of Art in human experience ever written.  Art as Experience starts from the observation that there can be no Art without an Audience- the two are intertwined because humans are social creatures and none of us exist in isolation.  This statement about the nature of Art stands in direct contradiction to the two main schools of art philosophy: Classicism, which holds that Beauty is an objective truth that exists outside the experience of any single person and Romanticism, which postulates that the Artist stands alone in the world, without reference to his human environment.  Much of the argument of Art as Experience takes the form of the language philosophy strategy of being extremely precise about the terms being used.  This gives the actual text of Art as Experience a tedious feel, even as the ideas expressed dance and sparkle with the light of discovery.  Dewey works his way through defining, having an experience, the act of expression, the expressive object, substance and form, etc.  I won't lie- it's dry.  Boring even.  BUT, it's a book that every art critic, blogger, etc should be forced- AT GUN POINT- to read.  That's because to read Dewey is to understand that Artists and Critics are on the same side- they both care and appreciate art and artistic products, and they both want to share their love/interest in art with a larger audience.  This idea of critics attacking Artists for some real or perceived "failure" is revealed by Dewey to actually be a failure of the critic- for failing to understand that his or her own experience is intruding on their understanding of the subject of their criticism.  It's a wonder to be that Dewey's Art as Experience isn't more commonly read and loved by Artists and Art critics, but I suppose he only has himself to blame- that man was not a prose stylist.  I would say that if you were going to read a single book on the subject of the "Philosophy of Art" it would be this book- and that there isn't another book you need to read after this one. Particularly, while reading Art As Experience I thought of conversations I had with my friend/business partner- Brandon Welchez of the Crocodiles.  Brandon often espoused the opinion- common to Artists that "Writing about music is like dancing about Architecture- i.e. pointless" and my response was basically, "Um..." but now I would reply that when a critic really understand the purpose of writing about art- to help clarify, illuminate and publicize worthy artists- and sharing one's interest in a specific art and artists with the wider world- art criticism can help to create an appreciative audience for a specific artist or art product where none existed before.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Better Than a Bed of Roses
  

*by M***N on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 1, 2023*

The media could not be loaded.
                
            
                
            
            
        
    
    








  
  
     The apparatus underneath the bed is the missing premise for the substance of the riddle expressed by the above video directly inspired by what said book, Art As Experience, refers to as a literal photograph, only now you can see it in motion.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    How you think about life gives shape to the way you see the world
  

*by B***N on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 13, 2010*

Dewey is the inspiration behind my PhD so as an owner of his collected works in print and electronic form I can offer a few words on Art as Experience. The 1934 first edition is a handsome object in itself. Written by a mature Dewey, this book is about art in its broadest sense, and experience in its particular sense as  our primary way of engaging the world. It is a book about the wonder of experiencing life in context.  And that is what makes it as relevant today as it was in 1934 - both eras are marked by significant socio-cultural development, received at such a pace it is hard to keep pace or pause to reflect. When was the last time you stopped think about the meaning of experiences in your life? Have you ever thought of yourself and the people near you as the shape and form of expression in this world?This book by Dewey will take you to many places well worth travelling to in print and in person. Read it alongside Wayne Booth's 'Writing as Thinking: Thinking as Writing' 
  
The Harper and Row Rhetoric: Writing as Thinking, Thinking as Writing







  
  
     and let Dewey, through his journey with Vernon Lee's ideas on page 101-102, in the chapter entitled 'The Expressive Object' inspire you to explore the rich writing of Violet Paget (aka Vernon Lee, The Beautiful). The high point of the book is the discussion of empathy.  Here is Dewey quoting Lee, which is in tune with the sense Dewey is talking about in his book 
  
The Beautiful: An Introduction to Psychological Aesthetics (Classic Reprint)







  
  
    :"The various and variously combined dramas enacted by the lines and curves and angles take place not in the marble or pigment embodying the contemplated shapes, but solely in ourselves..."

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co/products/4532631-art-as-experience](https://www.desertcart.co/products/4532631-art-as-experience)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Colombia*
*Store origin: CO*
*Last updated: 2026-02-23*