Essays on Aesthetics

I believe Kierkegaard’s central aim in Either/Or is to make the case for the aesthetic life on the basis that it is the only life in which true art can be pursued. He attempts to demonstrate that the life of the aesthetic offers something that the ethical does not, namely, true art. True art is a craft in which the artist pursues the most exciting, interesting, and emotionally powerful aspects of life. True art extends beyond the typical mediums such as music and prose to any pursuit of the deeply

to talk about an enlightened aesthetic, may seem unusual as the concept “enlightened” is usually identify with political regimes and scientific systems. But the truth is a return to the meaning of the concept of enlightenment and its aesthetic has never been so necessary for understanding the world that surrounds us as now. At a time in which "cultural marketing" and culture industries and their products are spreaded, it is inevitable to put back on scene the aesthetic reflection that accompanies

the position that his age is lacking something, meaning that it is missing a certain something that is essential for all human beings.  In other words, the "part’’ is missing the "whole’’. Friedrich Schiller on the Sixth Letter of his text "On the Aesthetic Education of Man in a Series of Letters’’ gives an example of a culture, which was not wanting. This culture, the Hellenic Greeks, seemed to manage a perfect balance between art and wisdom, and their connection to nature, for they realized art and

art is quite useless” (Wilde 4). In this one sentence, Wilde encapsulates the complete principles of the Aesthetic Movement popular in Victorian England. That is to say, real art takes no part in molding the social or moral identities of society, nor should it. Art should be beautiful and pleasure its observer, but to imply further-reaching influence would be a mistake. The explosion of aesthetic philosophy in fin-de-siècle English society, as exemplified by Oscar Wilde, was not confined to merely

In Nature & Landscape: An Introduction to Environmental Aesthetics, Allen Carlson proposes that scientific knowledge can enhance our aesthetic appreciation of the natural world. He draws a connection between technical know-how used in the context of natural landscapes and art history or criticism in the context of conventional art forms. In either case, the viewer would find relatively more meaningful experiences of aesthetic appreciation than if one looked at a painting or landscape without any

beauty, just as no unanimous definition of art itself. Therefore, examining the art of a culture or time reveals priceless insights as to the aesthetics of the culture, which in turn reveal important facts and messages about the culture itself. More intriguingly, the aesthetics of beauty can change throughout time and in response to events. Therefore, aesthetics is a pure means of social commentary through art. This principle is easily observed within the America, as the country is a mixture of types

Art has been subject of a complex philosophical reflection incorporated; however, within different thematics because the very idea of Art is changeable as it relies on the culture and the tradition of a particular epoch. Etymologically, the word Aesthetics derives from the Greek àisthesis, which means perception by the senses. It used to refer as the study of the world of perceptions as the doctrine aimed to discover the complexity of perceptive knowledge. In ancient times, the concept of Art was

and conflicts between Aestheticism and morality. He exposes his contradictions and inner struggles throughout his three main characters: Lord Henry, a nobleman who criticizes the moralism and hypocrisy of Victorian society and openly expresses his Aesthetic thoughts, Dorian Gray, a handsome model influenced by Lord Henry’s views on beauty and morality, and Basil Hallward, an artist captivated by Dorian’s beauty. The novel mainly deals with the different views the three men have on art, beauty and morality

one of the most fascinating, clever, genius, and complex pieces I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The first of his many works published pseudonymously, Either/Or studies the first two of Kierkegaard’s three stages of existential living--aesthetic and ethical. By writing under four pseudonyms throughout the two volumes, Kierkegaard removes his personal beliefs and allows the reader to make their own choice on the best way to live. Throughout this essay, I will explore how Kierkegaard begins

The Moral Importance of the Beautiful in Kant I argue for an interpretation of Kant's aesthetics whereby the experience of the beautiful plays the same functional role in the invisible church of natural religion as Scripture does for the visible churches of ecclesiastical religions. Thus, I contend, the links that Kant himself implies between the aesthetic and the moral (in the third Critique and the Religion) are much stronger than generally portrayed by commentators. Indeed, for Kant, experience