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Philosophy and Artistic Movement of Aestheticism

Aestheticism emphasizes the importance of beauty and aesthetics in art and life

Aestheticism believes that beauty and art should be the main focus of life

Art should be judged solely on its aesthetic value

Aestheticism emerged in the late 19th century as a reaction to the industrialization and commercialization of society

The movement supported the Pre-Raphaelites painters and shared a common vision about art and the importance of spontaneity and spirituality

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Aestheticism: general features

Aestheticism is a philosophy and artistic movement that emphasizes

the importance of beauty and aesthetics in art and life, often

leading to a hedonist lifestyle. Aestheticists believe that beauty

and art should be the main focus of life, and that the pursuit of

beauty should be the ultimate goal of artistic expression. Of

course, this was in contrast to the practical and utilitarian values

that were dominant in society at the time. They argue that art

should be judged solely on its aesthetic value, and not on its

moral or social message.

Aestheticism emerged in the late 19th century as a reaction to the

industrialization and commercialization of society.

Aestheticists believed that the increasing focus on practicality and

functionality in society was depriving people of the beauty and

pleasure that art and aesthetics could bring. As a result, they

argued that art and beauty should be elevated as the highest

values in life. Not to our surprise, the aesthetic movement

supported the Pre-Raphaelites painters, with whom shared a

common vision about art and the importance of spontaneity and

spirituality

Aestheticism was associated with a number of artistic movements,

including the Decadent movement in literature and the Art

Nouveau movement in art and design. It was also associated with

the ideas of the British aesthete Oscar Wilde, who argued that art

should be created for its own sake and that the pursuit of beauty

was the ultimate goal of artistic expression.

Aestheticism: sensibility

When we talk about Aestheticism, Walter Pater is considered as the

high priest of the movement. He was a British writer and critic,

born in 1839 and died in 1894.

Pater was known for his writing about art and literature. He wrote

about the importance of beauty and how it can be found in many

different things, such as nature, art, and literature. Pater believed

that people should appreciate the beauty of the world around them

and strive to create beauty in their own lives.

He considered life as a work of art, and reality as something made

of impressions and sensations: no portion of experience had to be

sacrificed, thus often leading, as we said, to hedonism.

It is not hard to understand why this movement got so important in

the Victorian England. In fact, Aestheticism rised in response to

Victorian rigid morality and hypocrisy.

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Aestheticism and Its Association with Artistic Movements

Aestheticism was associated with the Decadent movement in literature and the Art Nouveau movement in art and design
The British aesthete Oscar Wilde argued that the pursuit of beauty was the ultimate goal of artistic expression

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Walter Pater: The High Priest of Aestheticism

Walter Pater was a British writer and critic known for his writing about art and literature

Pater believed that people should appreciate the beauty of the world around them

Life is a work of art, and reality is made of impressions and sensations

Aestheticism rose in response to Victorian rigid morality and hypocrisy

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Conclusion

Aestheticism is a philosophy and artistic movement that emphasizes the importance of beauty and aesthetics in art and life
Aestheticism believes that beauty and art should be the main focus of life and that the pursuit of beauty should be the ultimate goal of artistic expression
Aestheticism emerged in the late 19th century as a reaction to the industrialization and commercialization of society
Aestheticism was associated with a number of artistic movements, including the Decadent movement in literature and the Art Nouveau movement in art and design
Walter Pater was a British writer and critic and considered as the high priest of the Aestheticism movement, known for his writing about art and literature