Concetti Chiave
- Aestheticism is a literary and artistic movement that emerged in England in the late 19th century.
- Oscar Wilde is the main representative of the Aestheticism movement.
- The movement emphasizes 'art for art's sake', viewing art as self-representative and independent from reality.
- Aestheticism rejects moral purposes in art, valuing works solely for their beauty.
- The movement suggests that life should imitate art, not the other way around.
Introduction to aestheticism
Aestheticism is a literary and artistic movement that was born in England in the last decades of 19th century. Its main representative is Oscar Wilde. The fundamental principle of this movement is that of art for art's sake, that consists in seeing art as representation of itself: it has an independent life and proceeds independently from the reality. The aesthetes deny any moral purpose of art, and they think that works of art should be judged only for their beauty. Indeed, they claim the superiority of art, whose supreme purpose is the cult of beauty.
Art and life relationship
Therefore, according to the aesthetes, it is not art to imitate life, but life to imitate art.
Domande da interrogazione
- What is the fundamental principle of the Aestheticism movement?
- How do aesthetes view the relationship between art and life?
The fundamental principle of the Aestheticism movement is "art for art's sake," which means art is seen as a representation of itself, independent from reality, and should be judged solely for its beauty.
Aesthetes believe that it is not art that imitates life, but rather life that imitates art.