theory_of_knowledge 2/03/2024

KEY THINKERS | The arts

Meet these amazing thinkers who will help you to understand the arts, challenge your assumptions and biases about the
world, and provide you with ideas that can support your essay and exhibition arguments. Members of
theoryofknowledge.net have access to loads more key thinkers, with clear advice on how to link them to both TOK and
the wider DP. Join us and gain access here - https://theoryofknowledge.net/register/full-access-tok-membership/
THEORY_OF_KNOWLEDGE 2/4/24 5:35PM
Virginia Woolf (1882 – 1941)
Woolf was a British writer and intellectual. She was
one of the key modernist thinkers of the the 20th
century, and also held strong opinions about religion.

THEORY_OF_KNOWLEDGE 2/4/24 5:35PM

Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900)
Wilde was an Irish playwright, poet and writer.
The archetypal C19th wit, he also wrote widely on
art, but was persecuted for his sexuality, and his
anti-establishment outlook ensured his downfall.

THEORY_OF_KNOWLEDGE 2/4/24 5:35PM

Elif Shafak (b. 1971)
Shafak is a Turkish writer whose books draw on
a whole range of different themes and cultures,
but for which one thing is vital: the imaginative
story. She is one of our knowledge heroes,
helping us to explore the way the arts can be
used to break through antagonistic perspectives.
THEORY_OF_KNOWLEDGE 2/4/24 5:34PM
Bridget Riley (b. 1931)
Riley is one of the most influential artists of the last
70 years. She is best known for her op art paintings.
She is one of our knowledge heroes, and helps us
to explore the nature and scope of the arts.

THEORY_OF_KNOWLEDGE 2/4/24 5:34PM

Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973)
Picasso was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, and
theatre designer who was one of the most influential
artists in history. He is one of our knowledge heroes,
helping us to explore how the arts develop over time,
and what prevents them from moving onwards.

THEORY_OF_KNOWLEDGE 2/4/24 5:34PM

Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954)
Matisse was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker.
His new way of conceiving of reality helped to define
the way the whole of the arts developed in the C20th,
and he is regarded as one of the most important
figures in the arts in the last 100 years.

THEORY_OF_KNOWLEDGE 2/4/24 5:33PM

Lin-Manuel Miranda (b. 1980)
Miranda is an American actor, singer, composer, and
playwright. He created and starred in several successful
Broadway musicals, most notably, Hamilton. He is one
of our knowledge heroes, helping us to explore how the
arts help us to understand moral issues.

THEORY_OF_KNOWLEDGE 2/4/24 5:33PM

Dorian Lynsky
Lynsky is a broadcaster and writer, who explores a
range of subjects such as music, politics, literature,
and film. His most recent work was a biography of
George Orwell. He is one of our knowledge heroes,
helping us to explore how the arts develop over time.

THEORY_OF_KNOWLEDGE 2/4/24 5:32PM

Madeleine L’Engle (1918 – 2007)
L’Engle was an American writer of fiction, non-fiction,
and poetry. Her works reflect her Christian faith and her
interest in the sciences. She is one of our knowledge
heroes, helping us to explore the nature of great art.

THEORY_OF_KNOWLEDGE 2/4/24 5:32PM

DH Lawrence (1885 – 1930)
Lawrence was an English writer and poet. His works
explored issues such as sexuality, emotional lives,
and the effects of industrialization. He is one of our
knowledge heroes, helping us to explore the purpose
of the arts, and their relationship with ethics.

THEORY_OF_KNOWLEDGE 2/4/24 5:32PM

Frida Kahlo de Rivera (1907 – 1954)
Kahlo was a Mexican painter, whose self-portraits
are amongst the most evocative of sadness and
loneliness of all works of modern art – giving her
particular resonance in the age of Covid.

THEORY_OF_KNOWLEDGE 2/4/24 5:31PM

Evelyn Glennie (b. 1965)
At the age of 12, Glennie lost nearly all her hearing,
but her passion and talent for music (as well as her
determination) meant she was still able to enter the
Royal College of Music in London, changing the way
admissions were handled for people with disabilities.

THEORY_OF_KNOWLEDGE 2/4/24 5:31PM

Denis Dutton (1944 – 2010)
Dutton worked as a philosopher at the University
of Canterbury in New Zealand, and was the editor
of Arts and Letters Daily. He believed that far
from it being dictated by culture, our aesthetic
sense is innate, and has evolved over the course
of time as a result of Darwinian adaptation.
THEORY_OF_KNOWLEDGE 2/4/24 5:30PM
Ai Weiwei (b. 1957)
Ai is a Chinese artist, photographer, architect,
and activist. His work deals with political and
social issues. He is one of our knowledge heroes,
helping us to explore whether to be an artist you
have to deal with moral themes in your work.