Summary of Art and Answerability

Art and Answerability is a philosophical work by Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin. It explores the relationship between a creative artist and the artwork they create. He uses the concept of “answerability” to explain how a work of art is not simply a product of the artist’s inner self, but instead is a result of the artist responding to the world around them. The book further explores the idea that art is not only created out of a “sense of duty,” but also a desire to communicate something true and meaningful. Bakhtin also addresses the concept of “unanswerability” in which a work of art is not only an answer to a social or cultural question, but also an acknowledgment of a larger reality that may be too large or too complex to be fully understood.