The Emergence of Artistic Practice: From Self-Action to Trans-Action

Abstract

This chapter will apply the concepts of self-action, inter-action and trans-action to trace the different historical formations of artistic uniqueness, such as the eighteenth-century genius, the nineteenth-century rebel artist and the early twentieth-century performance artist. Based on the historical interpretation of various social figurations, the often ontological or essentialist notions of the God-like artist (such as the great artists in art history) versus God-like art institutions (mystic, elite gatekeepers in sociology) are not discarded, but their appearance is framed from a trans-actional perspective. Rather than opting for one of these concepts, the chapter applies Dewey’s and Bentley’s notions of self-action, inter-action and trans-action to contextualize how these different figurations of the genius and the artist came into being.