Aesthetic of the Cool: Afro-Atlantic Art and Music

His students refer to him as “Master T” The honorific references Robert Farris Thompson's enduring presence at Yale University as Master of Timothy Dwight College, but it also reflects his preeminence in the field of African and African Diaspora art history for the last half-century. Thompson's 2011 book, Aesthetic of the Cool: Afro-Atlantic Art and Music, provides a glimpse of his contribution to the field through a collection of short writings from throughout his important career. While the book takes the form of disparate case studies, it puts forth the thesis that there is a complicated, yet cohesive, aesthetic that connects Africa and its westward diasporas into a unique cultural sphere: the Afro-Atlantic. Through many specific analyses, Thompson's vivid, vibrant prose describes the ways in which African social and visual philosophies are maintained and transmitted around the world through visual art, music, and everyday practice. While Thompson may be...