Introduction_Opening the Puzzle
Hamburger and Ketchup Bottle / Abstract Donkey Kong / Tilted Arc / 4 Minutes 33 Seconds of Silence_Music of Chance / Plastic Art / Artificial Intelligence Painter / Is It Art?

Chapter 1: Art, a Mirror Reflecting the World_Imitation
The Painters' Competition / Plato: Fake Art and Foolish Art / Beyond Plato / Aristotle: The Art of Selection and Focus, and Catharsis / Beyond the Middle Ages to the Renaissance / Story Dessert: The Judgment of Paris

Chapter 2: The Blue Flower of Emotions_Expression Theory
Great Artworks of the Street Gallery / Blue Flower of Romanticism / Tolstoy_The Feeling of Being Together / The Art of Politics / Collingwood_Symphony of Emotions / Sleepless Night, Burning Poetry / Like a Storm, Like a Rage / Story Dessert_Vincent van Gogh, Half of My Soul

Chapter 3: Mondrian's Rise in Mt. Sobaek: Formalism
Blue Coolness, Red Anger, Yellow Depression / Sobaeksan Mountain Climbing Story / Oh, Versailles! / Three Dimensions in Two Dimensions / Art, a Mirror That Shines on Itself / Story Dessert_Consult with Kant

Chapter 4: A Toilet's Art Gallery Tour: The Impossibility of Defining Art
A Toilet Turned Upside Down / Duchamp's Descendants / Puzzles in the Toilet / You're an Olympic Olympian / Sunflowers in My Heart / Story Dessert_Wittgenstein and His Family

Chapter 5: Celebrating! Art, Awarded Qualifications: Institutional Theory
Similar toes / The Count of Art / A loose system / Beyond the old dam / Story Dessert_Duchamp's paradox

Chapter 6: Art Without Domination and Insult: Pluralism
Jirisan and the Universe / For Diversity / Freedom of Expression and Social Consensus / Bread, Steak, and Art / The Dream of Tolerance / Story Dessert_The Name of the Rose

Chapter 7: Memories of the Serengeti Plains: Evolutionary Psychology and Art
Invitation to Evolutionary Psychology / Art, Sweet Whispers of Love / Art, Drums for Survival / I'm Like Them / Art for Life / Story Dessert_Grudge

Chapter 8: Hitting and Running, Writing and Erasing_Art as Experience
Museums and Mountain Temples / An Experience / Art in Everyday Life / Story Dessert_Art, the Healing Path

Going Out_Art by Your Side

Even in the most difficult moments and in the most shining moments
What we need is art

In the spring of 2020, when COVID-19 was sweeping the world, Hockney, the world's most expensive living artist, shared his new painting of a tree and daffodils on social media.
“Nothing can stop the coming of spring.” Evgeny Kissin, Yo-Yo Ma, Seong-Jin Cho, Cotier Capuçon… … .
Even the world's best musicians have filmed their performances simply in their living rooms and uploaded them to YouTube without any strings attached.
Many people have found great comfort and encouragement here.
Even if you can't leave the house, or your livelihood is threatened, art can alleviate some of the suffering.
If there is art, no matter how low reality hits, we can maintain a minimum level of dignity.
As Goethe said, in our most difficult moments and in our most brilliant ones, what we need is art.
This book is about that very 'art'.
The author uses a variety of examples and examples to explain what art is, why it so elevates our spirits, and how it helps us experience a better life. This approach is simple and entertaining, yet profound and profound.

What is art and what is not art?
Eight-pronged answers that unlock the secrets of art

Contemporary artist Oldenburg erected a giant teacup-shaped sculpture in Cheonggyecheon.
Art students placed a ketchup bottle next to a giant hamburger measuring 2 meters in diameter that he created, but the hamburger was treated as art and the ketchup bottle was removed because it was not considered art.
The work of Congo, a chimpanzee trained to hold a brush, was reminiscent of Jackson Pollock's abstract paintings, and when it was actually exhibited, people were amazed.
Pianist John Cage came on stage and remained still for 4 minutes and 33 seconds, then disappeared off the stage and loudly declared that his performance was 'the music of chance.'


Now that the AI ​​program Obvious is selling for several times more than Andy Warhol's portraits, the boundaries of art, once shaken by contemporary art and experimental music, are shifting to digital art and then to AI art, destroying even the core of art, the "creator."
Nevertheless, the 'Van Gogh-style' Tübingen landscape, produced by artificial intelligence that can transform any photo into the style of any desired artist, is still beautiful and romantic.

Why do we perceive some things as beautiful and others as art, even though they are not? What exactly is art, and what isn't? To find the answer, the author explores the theories of philosophers and aestheticians like Plato, Kant, and Greenberg, exploring topics ranging from "mimeticism," "expressive theory," "formalism," and "institutionalism" to "pluralism," "evolutionary psychology," and "empiricism."
It explains eight ways to understand art, one by one, up to the point of 'the theory that art cannot be defined'.
Along this eight-way intersection of art and beauty, the history of art unfolds broadly and deeply, from Egyptian murals to AI-generated paintings, from the naked Venus to the performances of the Guerrilla Girls.

Art, where should we start and where should we go from there?
The very first liberal arts class that teaches the 'Do-Re-Mi' of art

Art always leads us to a better life than we could ever imagine.
So, I want to know more, and I want to pretend to know more, but it's not easy to find a proper introductory book to art.
The uniqueness of "A History of Eight Answers to Art" lies in its depth and perspective that cannot be achieved by books that comment on individual works of art or books that focus on reading famous paintings.
Is it possible to cover the entire story of art in one book? This book can.
Because of the friendly narrative and clear structure that crosses the history of art, complex art movements are naturally structured and various art styles are naturally understood.
By following the answers to questions about art that have been raised throughout human history, anyone can draw a great outline of art with just this one book.
Although it was written as a book for teenagers, it was widely loved by readers from elementary school students to adults after its publication, which is why it was able to go through 20 printings.


This book is a revised edition of "A History of Seven Answers to Art," adding one new answer to the original book, significantly supplementing the content to fit the age of artificial intelligence, and adding abundant images to create an introductory book that explains the "Do-Re-Mi" of art.
It will be a beautiful and useful guide for those who want to take their first steps into the world of art.