Theories of beauty, art, and aesthetic experience, including major positions on what makes something art.
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- What was Plato's theory of beauty?
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Beauty is an eternal, unchanging Form or Idea that physical objects imperfectly imitate.- What does Aristotle mean by mimesis?
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Imitation or representation of reality, which Aristotle saw as central to art's function.- Define aesthetic experience.
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An experience of objects or events valued for their intrinsic qualities rather than practical utility.- What is Kant's key claim about aesthetic judgment?
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Aesthetic judgments are subjective but claim universal validity, and they involve disinterested pleasure.- What is the sublime, according to Kant?
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An aesthetic experience of vastness or overwhelming power that initially unsettles us but ultimately elevates the mind.- What did Hume propose about aesthetic disagreement?
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There is a standard of taste grounded in the agreement of experienced, trained observers across time and culture.- What is the institutional theory of art?
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Something is art if and only if the artworld (artists, critics, museums, institutions) confers status as art upon it.- What is formalism in aesthetics?
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The view that aesthetic value derives primarily from the formal properties of a work (shape, color, composition) rather than content or subject matter.- What is the expression theory of art?
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Art is the expression of the artist's emotions, feelings, or inner states in sensible form.- What is representation in art theory?
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The use of symbols, images, or forms to stand for or depict something other than themselves.- What did Marcel Duchamp argue with ready-made art?
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That everyday objects can become art through the artist's choice and context, challenging traditional definitions of art.- What is taste in aesthetic theory?
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The capacity to discriminate and appreciate aesthetic qualities, cultivated through experience and education.- What distinguishes art from craft?
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Art is valued for intrinsic aesthetic or expressive qualities, while craft is valued primarily for functional skill or utility.- What is the central problem of defining art?
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No single property is shared by all artworks, yet we intuitively recognize most things as art or not.- What are aesthetic properties?
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Properties that make something worthy of aesthetic attention, like being graceful, delicate, garish, or elegant.
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