Theories Of Aesthetics: Explanations And Examples

Introduction

What is Aesthetics?

The term aesthetics refers to a branch of philosophy, which deals 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. The study of the mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty’ (Dictionary.com, 2020). Comment by Angelo Servini: 56

Aesthetics can also be defined as to be the following:

‘Adjective: Relating to the philosophy of aesthetics; concerned with notions such as the beautiful and the ugly. Relating to the science of aesthetics; concerned with the study of the mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty. having a sense of the beautiful; characterized by a love of beauty.’ and ‘Noun: The philosophical theory or set of principles governing the idea of beauty at a given time and place: the clean lines, bare surfaces, and sense of space that bespeak the machine-age aesthetic; the Cubist aesthetic. A particular individual’s set of ideas about style and taste, along with its expression: The designer’s aesthetic of accessible, wearable fashion; a great aesthetic on her blog. One’s set of principles or worldview as expressed through outward appearance, behaviour, or actions: the democratic aesthetic of the abolitionists’ (Dictionary.com, 2020). Comment by Angelo Servini: 135

Also:

‘The study of aesthetics attempts to define philosophically the concepts of beauty and taste. The term has been current since the 18th century when it was introduced by A. G. Baumgarten, and the philosopher Kant used it in this sense in his Critique of Judgement (1790), in which he argued that aesthetic appreciation reconciles the dualism of theory and practice in human nature, thereby leaving the way open to identify beauty as a profoundly subjective quality, and not necessarily inherent in the artwork. This rigorous philosophy was undermined in the 19th century by Aestheticism which trivialized the study of beauty into the doctrine of art for art’s sake. In the 20th century, the term is widely and imprecisely used as a synonym for the domain of fine art as opposed to the decorative arts’ (Duro and Greenhalgh, 1992). Comment by Angelo Servini: 135

Lyas (1997) furthermore states: ‘It is because we are struck by rainbows, entranced by fictions, moved by rhythms, unsettled by certain colour combinations, that we developed the words and behavior that articulate aesthetic responses.’ Comment by Angelo Servini: 30

From these definitions, the questions can be posed: Do we instinctively know what is beautiful or what is ugly, what is sublime? Is not the appreciation of these values only subjective, or can they be described in a quantifiable way?

The study of aesthetics attempts to form a template, a value system to define and encapsulate the terms that allow the analysis of art in a meaningful manner. The German philosopher Immanuel Kant identified that

‘If we can be said to have a duty with regard to beautiful things, it appears to be exhausted in our judging them aesthetically to be beautiful. That is what Kant means when he says that the judgment of taste is not practical but rather “merely contemplative”’ (Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, 2020). Comment by Angelo Servini: 47

So, what are these value systems? First, it must be defined what it is that is valued. What is good or bad? What is esteemed? Does it have monetary value? What attributes of a work are relevant, both in a historical sense and in present-day society? And can look at authenticity, whether something is authentic or not authentic. Is it honest or true to its purpose or the concept that underlies it? In the Victorian era, the “arts and crafts movement” of whom William Morris was a prime contributor focussed on fine detail, skill, and extreme complexity. Of note is the mass production of his wallpapers and textiles, some of which are still produced in limited quantities (Victoria and Albert Museum, 2020). Comment by Angelo Servini: 72

‘Morris believed passionately in the importance of creating beautiful, well-made objects that could be used in everyday life, and that was produced in a way that allowed their makers to remain connected both with their product and with other people. Looking to the past, particularly the medieval period, for simpler and better models for both living and production, Morris argued for the return to a system of manufacture based on small-scale workshops’ (Victoria and Albert Museum, 2020). Comment by Angelo Servini: 72

Morris’ aesthetic value was concerned with skill, craftsmanship, and the authenticity of a piece of work. Morris took inspiration from medieval artifacts, such as tapestries, and nature in general; there was a naturalist beauty to his work (Victoria and Albert Museum, 2020). Comment by Angelo Servini: 72

In relation to nature and natural forms, aesthetics also regards the sublime, which deals with the element of fear or veneration, awesomeness as compared to our viewpoint, the subject is vast, or powerful. For example, a storm at sea, or, the medieval cathedrals where human beings appear minute by comparison and illustrate the infinity of God (REF).

We have as a guideline the words of philosophers such as Plato, Immanuel Kant, Alexander Baumgarten and the Third Earl of Shaftsbury (Anthony Ashley Cooper) to name but a few, who have added their own views regarding aesthetic values – where our appreciation and understanding, in consequence, has changed over time and subsequently been enriched.

Hieronymus Bosch

The Garden of Earthly Delights Triptych – The Collection (Museo Nacional del Prado, 2020).

Hieronymous Bosch was born Jheronimus van Aken and lived from 1450 to 9 August 1516. He was a Dutch/Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He was the foremost representative of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work concerned mainly religious concepts, and his paintings were fantastical illustrations and his macabre nightmarish vistas of hell must have been terrifying to the people of his time (Hieronymus Bosch, 2020).

The son of a painter, his work depicted mainly biblical metaphors and visual symbols which would have been found in the bible (The National Gallery, 2020).

Each panel of the triptych represents Eden, The garden of earthly delights, and Hell. In Eden, the creator and the newly created Eve are being presented to Adam. In the central panel naked human beings enthusiastically engage in a riot of pleasurable activity. In Hell, human beings are depicted as being punished accordingly for their sins (Calas, 1969).

It can be appreciated from the images displayed in the triptych, that they are exaggerated and shown as grotesque and distorted to prove the religious points Bosch wanted to illustrate. The sublime fearful aspect draws us into the busy scenes depicting mankind gone astray from the ideal world of the garden of Eden and the resulting effect of humanity judged for their sin, cast into hell and an eternity of torment. In contrast, the scene in Eden is shown as beautiful and serene. (Calas, 1969).

Exploring the symbology briefly within the triptych. It can be deduced; all is not well in Eden and the meme of the downfall of a man is already evident where

‘Charles de Tolnay’s view that the newborn Eve being presented by the Lord to Adam is already the image of seduction with its implication of the first step to-wards sin.’ (Calas, 1969). Comment by Angelo Servini: 32

And

‘Beyond the tabernacle set in, there are in Eden three misty blue mountains- blue in reference to the similitude of the Church with the moon- that serve as a reminder that chaff will be separated from the grain.’ (Calas, 1969). Comment by Angelo Servini: 37

Which refers to the biblical division between sinners and the church itself (Calas, 1969).

Also, symbology which would have been seen as horrific in the Garden of Eden panel can be observed as:

‘While some of the creeping things, such as the tadpoles and frogs, might be seen as newly generated life in various stages of development, others have an overtly sordidus appearance, such as the two creatures directly behind the jug-spilling-lees reptile. The large reptile with its three serpentine heads cannot but bring to mind a version of a satanic trinity (Calas, 1969). Comment by Angelo Servini: 59

Therefore, there is the downfall of man, the idea of the church, and the corruption of all life and mankind, even before the downfall of man has occurred (Calas, 1969).

Bosch created an alternative to the version of Hell described in the Bible as a fiery pit of destruction and eternal punishment. Instead, he presented a fantastical other under-world, which looked like a body-strewn battlefield populated with characters such as lion-headed monsters wielding swords, an androgynous birdman who vomits up dice, dogs savaging women, men impaled together on trees, and men raped by demons (Dunne, 2016).

Dunne (2016) explains why Bosch would create this alternative world:

‘A member of a skull-and-bones religious order, the Illustrious Brotherhood of Our Blessed Lady, Bosch saw hell as a physical world eternally separated from God. The idea was to render hell as a place so unthinkably foul that people would fear God and live according to the Gospels.’. Comment by Angelo Servini: 48

Up to our current time, Bosch’s has had a significant impact on the creative arts. His visions of demonic sadists, lakes of burning sulfur, and rat kings have been replicated in some way or other in the film and music industry, for instance: ‘David Bowie’s macabre short film for Black Star, the cover of Michael Jackson’s album Dangerous, and Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy’ (Dunne, 2016).

Also, Dunne (2016) continues:

‘The lust for war in recent times is no less obscene than it was during the Middle Ages. After the carnage of World War I, surrealists such as Salvador Dalí and René Magritte helped spur a renewed interest in Bosch. These artists weren’t only drawn to his bizarre sex scenes (see Dalí’s The Great Masturbator), but they also saw him as the quintessential modern artist whose renderings of hell mirrored the suffering and deaths of millions. Modern life itself was misery: poison gas, dysentery, shellshock, and bandaged amputees staggering through a treeless wasteland.’ Comment by Angelo Servini: 93

Salvador Dali

Comment by Angelo Servini: Select three artifacts to consider, focus your writing on these three. How are they similar? What makes them different? What are their aesthetic concerns? Is one simple? Is one complex and different? Does one connect to Art’s and Crafts? Does one connect to something very different, the machine aesthetic for instance? Lots to consider. Depending on which artifacts you select this will shape what you write about.Figure 2: The Burning Giraffe (1937) Salvador Dali (Hampton, 2020).

Born in Figueres, Spain Dali lived from 1904 to 1989. It was at the end of the 1920s that he began to develop as a Surrealist painter (Salvador Dalí’s Biography | Fundació Gala – Salvador Dalí, 2020).

Dali’s artwork was influenced by the theories of Sigmund Freud, which concerned the unconscious, the subconscious, and dreams. Dali attempted to create a visual language to describe his own inner world. His work was permeated with fetishes, symbolism, animals, and religious symbols (Dalí, 2020).

‘Surrealism is an outward expression of one’s deepest worries and desires—skewed as they may be. Dalí found Freud’s psychoanalytic method—one that reflects instead of projects—as something that would be hugely beneficial for the world moving forward’ (Hampton, 2020). Comment by Angelo Servini: 39

The small figure of a giraffe on fire set against distant hills is completely dwarfed by the enormous scantily clothed woman with open chest drawers set into her body at a smaller distance than the second figure of a woman. Both have phallic-looking protrusions supported by crutches. The low-down landscape and twilight-like blue to dark blue background only serve to accentuate the feeling of scale and otherworldliness and of the sublime. It is both a very detailed image of a female, with the stiff outstretched arms and looking upwards away from what lies behind her. The figure seems to be desperate to stretch away almost refusing to look back terrified. Being supported by crutches indicates that the woman is weak and by her stance seems almost to fall over onto her back except for the supports.

What is also amazing is that the painting is only 35 cm × 27 cm despite its depiction of scale (Hampton, 2020).

Salvador Dali had used a burning giraffe in another of his paintings “The Invention of Monsters” where he describes it as: ‘the masculine cosmic apocalyptic monster’ and believed that he had a premonition of the onset of war (Hampton, 2020). Comment by Angelo Servini: 5

Bibliography

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