Abstract
This paper concerns one of the main features of the aesthetic experience of art, as discussed in recent German critical theory. Namely, I will focus on the work of Albrecht Wellmer and Christoph Menke.
Both authors are strongly influenced by the ideas of Theodor W. Adorno, yet deal with his legacy critically, opening up new possibilities for answering the crucial question of Adorno's aesthetics, i.e. what is the social role of art.
Wellmer and Menke turn to the analysis of the aesthetic experience of art and the effect art has on its recipient. I argue that a common feature of their respective aesthetics is the stress on the anti-social and irrational character of the aesthetic experience of art.
I first summarize this feature in the approach of Wellmer and then turn to Menke. I conclude by pointing out the relevance of considering the irrational and anti-social features in their notion of the aesthetic experience of art, as well as noting possible problems of Wellmer's and Menke's conception.