Abstract Aesthetics is an esoteric subject but manages to be appealing to many readers. Aesthetics are a form of philosophy which deals with nature, beauty, art, and taste and appreciation for truly beautiful things. From art aesthetics to, aesthetic judgment, normativity in aesthetics et cetera et cetera. Aesthetics in general have been around for centuries. The most significant figures in the aesthetic tear of philosophy are figures such as Plato, Emmanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche. It’s a major explanation on why we view things the way we do and why are they stimulating. This essay examines this branch of philosophy to support this …show more content…
The unrecognized significance of Aesthetics “I think everything in life is art. What you do, how you dress, the way you love someone, and how you talk. Your smile and your personality, what you believe in, and all your dreams. The way you drink your tea, how you decorate your home, or party; your grocery list, the food you make, how your writing looks, and the way you feel. Life is art.” – Helena Bonham Carter. Everything I seem to appreciate I note that one way or another I end up relating whatever it is that stimulates my mind to art always. I’m constantly thinking in my mind how the smallest of things can drastically change the appearance of things, the way they make you feel and communicate essentially. One word in which you can observe me saying nearly in every sentence is the word “aesthetic”. The word “aesthetic” lacks usage and is absent in the vocabulary of various people I have spoken to throughout my life, by no means am I suggesting for the word to be clichéd, but it is note-worthy to say that it is definitely under used. Aesthetics are essentially the reasoning and acumen behind literally everything you can think of. It’s the reason you wear those shoes your currently wearing, because “they look nice”. It’s the reason you are with your girlfriend and vice versa because you guys. It’s literally the reason behind why you put that specific piece of furniture you
Aestheticism was a popular dogma in the late 1800s that centered on the belief that art should exist for beauty alone. This doctrine is defined as an “exaggerated devotion to art, music, or poetry, with indifference to practical matters” and “the acceptance of artistic beauty and taste as a fundamental standard, ethical and other standards being secondary” (“Aestheticism,” def. 1 and 2). In Oscar Wilde’s sole novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, aestheticism is a fashionable belief accepted by society at the time. Oscar Wilde uses the moral deterioration and ultimate destruction of Dorian Gray in The Picture of Dorian Gray to emphasize the negative effects of society’s preoccupation with aesthetics and offer a moral for the reader.
In this article, Norman proves his point of “attractive things work better” by discussing the effects of usability, practicality, and aesthetics. It is similar to the argument of beauty vs. brains. Can humans overlook flaws of an object just because of its aesthetics? Do people really tend to choose things that put practicality of an object on the back burner for the way it looks? Depending on the occasion- yes. Aesthetics are a set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art. Norman also discusses the differences between affect and cognition, as well as how it ties into his point of “attractive things work better.” He uses the term “affect” because it is a more neutral term. In his article, “affect” is demonstrated as a judgmental processing system that helps to portray negative and
Aesthetics is defined as “the branch of philosophy dealing with such notions as the beautiful,the ugly, the sublime, the comic, etc., as applicable to the fine arts,with a view to establishing the meaning and validity of critical judgments concerning works of art, and the principles underlying or justifying such judgments”(Webster.) It is closely related to the philosophy of art, which determines how individual works are interpreted. Aesthetics not only examine the nature and value of art, but also examine the reaction that an individual or group has to such arts. As previously mentioned aesthetics is the philosophical study of beauty and taste, the attractive and the none, the beautiful and the ugly. It can be difficult to categorize and match objects and expressions into those two broad categories because it is possible for one to observe aesthetics from different angles.
Pleasure, contemplation, and judgment are the key elements in aesthetics. Pleasure is what you feel after watching a certain piece of art, which can be positive or negative emotions as the goal of this step is to accept everything you feel from it, so you can think about it in the contemplation phase. Like I said before contemplation is the thinking phase, which means that the goal is to understand all of the emotions that you might be having in the pleasure phase in order to make a clear verdict on the art in the judgment phase. Judgment is basically the result of the two other elements as a person has to feel and handle their feelings after watching an artwork in order to make the conclusion of if they like or dislike the artwork. The three parts make up to be the aesthetic appreciation, however it’s still possible to go further and enter the criticism phase in order to explain why you might like or dislike an artwork while using logical reasons.
In Aesthetics we are constantly judging. First we judge whats is on the outside, or the words on a page, or whats on the stage. Then we must go deeper into it and see the meaning behind it. We go from “I like this” to “this is good”.
Aesthetic defines beauty in a person or thing. Nature defines the natural, physical, or material world or universe and Art defines (to distinguish it from other art forms) visual art, a visual object or experience consciously created through an expression of skill or imagination. Thus, the connection between nature which allows us to apprehend that we are indistinctly connected to the universe and art enables individuals to express sentiments regarding any matter through imaginative work. People encountering trouble expressing may also try to take art as a therapy - this help individuals regulate concerns, emotions, reduce stress, and enhance confidence and mindfulness. These reasons are part of the message that I am going to convey through my artwork, as I have done the same for myself throughout my time doing art as part of my hobby and passion.
Because Heidegger does not agree with the creations of modern times, he does not agree with the term aesthetics. He mentions how Kant used the term aesthetics in Critique of Judgment. Heidegger explains how the Greeks first generated the word. Aesthetics deals with the senses and does not deal with the mind and knowledge. It is the opposite of what a truth would be. Heidegger explains how this is an issue as it is not a way to search for the truth in something. Our minds, unlike our senses, search to understand and find truth.
“Beauty” is an elementary word that has a multitude of definitions, depending on the individual and the subject at hand. It is an abstract word that is mostly used to describe a commodity that brings peace of mind or cheer an individual. It may be used to describe numerous characteristics in person, but the word “beauty” will create a stance for all the distinguished values possessed by an individual or substance. This essay is, therefore, going to give a more concise and precise definition of the word “beauty” and what it symbolizes when put in use.
Some people have maintained that beauty is indeed ‘in the eyes of the beholder’, or it is nothing but a capacity possessed by works of art to ‘cause’ the idea of beauty in us.[1] The difficulty of reconciling subjectivity of response with the presumed universality of aesthetic judgement is one which Kant struggled with in his third critique. Kant’s views on art are a main part of his philosophy.[2] In Kant’s view when we describe a flower being red we are, fundamentally including sensory data under concepts. However in the case of verdict like the ‘this flower is beautiful’ we are referring to what is being viewed to what he calls ‘a delight, apart from any interest’. Therefore it is a ‘judgement of taste’ as compared with ‘judgements of the
Aesthetics is the study of the mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty. This philosophy is very well explained in Virginia Postrel¡¯s essay, ¡°Surface and Substance¡±. In the essay, Postrel challenges the separation of surface and substance with examples of acts of consumptions, which she describes as an engagement with beauty. There are many reasons that drive people towards consumptions. It is important to be socially accepted, even if it requires changing the way one looks. Some might turn to consumptions, and buy nicer or more expensive clothes just to feel fit in. Trend is another reason people have to turn to consumptions. Manufacturers limit the freedom for an individual to choose things that can express himself.
Aesthetic experience is an exceptional state of mind that is qualitatively distinct from the ordinary everyday experiences. There is a distinct difference between aesthetic situations and everyday situations, as well as objects of aesthetic experience and objects of everyday use. (Markoviä, 2012) In an aesthetic experience, there is a psychological process wherein certain focus is given on a specific object wherein other objects, events, and concerns are subdued. (Cupchik and Winston, 1996) An aesthetic experience strongly engages the subject's mind, particularly with the object of interest, with a unique kind of subject-object relationship, suppressing all other surrounding events and objects. (Ognjenovi´c, 1997) A defining feature of aesthetic experience is that it
The most important trait in defining art is its beauty. As complex as the term “art” can be, the term “beauty” is nearly just as complicated. In order to understand art more clearly it is important to understand beauty. “We label an object beautiful because it promotes an internal harmony or ‘free play’ of our mental faculties; we call something ‘beautiful’ when it elicits this pleasure.” (Freeland 8). As defined above, beauty is not a direct message. It is something that subconsciously allows man to feel good and pleasurable. There is “an internal harmony” when we observe something beautiful that allows us to take away a deeper understanding of a work of art regardless of it being “nice looking” or “ugly”.
To have an aesthetic experience there are two criteria that need to be met. The first is paying close attention to intrinsic features. The second is that the object we focus on must be viewed as worthy of our attention. An example from the book of an object being viewed as valuable is on page 58. Young children will pick weeds and think they are just as beautiful as flowers because they do not see a difference. As they get older they begin to see what is held at a higher value in society (p.58). I see this at work when children bring me grass or rocks to hold onto because they see them as special. Most of the girls only pick things with color, so they can kind of tell the difference. During the spring one of our teachers was admiring a large bloom on the hydrangea bush. An older student then decided to pick it and bring it to the teacher. This upset the teacher because that flower was not meant for the kids to pick, but this shows how children understand and copy the ideas of adults.
Life consists of constant cycles of spontaneous outbursts of joy and unexpected disappointments; there is an upside to this repetitive tug of war. On this rock we call home, we are surrounded by the most gorgeous creations, structures, and landscapes that add a touch of serenity to our miserable existences called aesthetics. Aesthetics as an adjective is defined as concern with beauty of the appreciation of beauty. As a noun it means a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement. The surrounding beauty that we take for continuous granted is significant towards our existence. In everyday interaction, we straddle the line between aesthetic judgement, where we appreciate any object, instead
Beauty is one’s positive and admiring feeling or understanding towards one object. In twenty first century, individuals are bonded with beauty that the society, or the shared knowledge, have agreed for trillion years, yet different people holds different opinion whether they admire an object or not. Therefore, I agree that beauty can have different interpretation based on the shared knowledge and personal knowledge that one experienced. Knowing that there are various interpretation of arts, the real life application that comes to my mind to ask “how do we weigh beauty” or “what is aesthetics”?