Arthur Szathmary, a Princeton University professor emeritus of philosophy, died of natural causes July 1 at his home in Princeton, N.J. He was 97.

Over the course of his nearly 40 years at the University, Szathmary's work probed the philosophical significance of art and the relations between art and philosophy as modes of understanding human experience. He also concentrated on the principle of aesthetic criticism of art and was intrigued by how art enables people from different cultures to understand each other. He retired from Princeton in 1986.

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"His courses, especially the undergraduate courses he taught, attracted large groups of students, including, among others, the painter Frank Stella," Nehamas said. "He was an infectiously enthusiastic teacher, with high standards, but always profoundly generous, encouraging and full of good will."

Szathmary's impact on his students often lasted long after they left Princeton. In 2008, Gregory Callimanopulos, a member of the Class of 1957 and a noted art collector, donated the first Picasso painting to enter the Princeton University Art Museum's collection, "Tête d'homme et nu assis ("Man's Head and Seated Nude&quot , in honor of Szathmary.