How to understand Marx's theory of artistic production

Marx's theory of artistic production has multiple meanings:

The first meaning is to compare the artistic production of material production with spiritual production, and does not refer to the artistic phenomenon in a specific historical period;

The second meaning refers to the actual creative process;

The third meaning means that in the period of capital development, all artistic production is to create value for capital, and all works of art have the attributes of commodities.

Generally speaking, Marx's "theory of artistic production" is mainly understood in the first and third sense. In other words, literature and art do not exist in isolation. Only from the practice of social material production and spiritual production, from the relationship between production, consumption, distribution and exchange, can we get the final explanation of literature and art. ..

Theoretical development of artistic production theory

Western Marxist theorists inherited Marx's theory of artistic production, and combined with the new cultural situation of their respective times, made a long-term and in-depth exploration of artistic production, deepening and refining the artistic production thought in Marxist classic works. Their theory and Marxist classical art production theory show obvious inheritance logic in the aspects of literary theory research, social and cultural critical spirit, aesthetic politicization appeal and aesthetic salvation feelings, and show many new variations and characteristics. ?