What can philosophy tell us about the arts?

Philosopher and author Richard Wollheim will speak Thursday, Dec. 7, about how philosophy can throw light on major issues in art.

The free talk is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. in L150 Elvehjem Museum of Art, 800 University Ave., Madison.

Wollheim, the author of “Art and Its Objects” and “Painting as an Art,” will discuss questions such as, what is art? What is the value of art? And how do we interpret individual works of art? Wollheim, a professor of philosophy at University of California-Berkeley, will use the art of painting to illustrate these topics.

“Richard Wollheim is a philosopher who has contributed to virtually every debate in his discipline,” says UW–Madison philosophy professor Noel Carroll. “He’s one of the leading aestheticians in the English-speaking world and is a renowned commentator on the discourse of psychoanalysis.”

Wollheim’s appearance is part of the “Humanities Without Boundaries” lecture series sponsored by the Center for the Humanities.

For more information, call (608) 263-3409.