Philosophy includes theory of beauty {aesthetics}|.
questions
Why are things and ideas beautiful? What did art begin? What is purpose of art? What is nature of creativity? What is relation between art and life?
factors: patterns
Aesthetically pleasing patterns use balance, symmetry, flowing lines, golden ratio, order, unity, and variety. They integrate parts and whole. They use religious, sex, and countryside symbolism.
factors: unusualness
Something can be rare, forgotten, or new and involve new perspectives, associations, or ideas.
factors: cleanliness
Cleanliness is aesthetic in Japan and other places.
art creation
Art creation can be play, escape, nature imitation, feeling expression, creative-power exercise, or common-situation idealization.
effects
Art is intentional, causes reactions, and can have meaning. Art can cause transcendent feelings: adventure, affection, awe, beauty, contemplation, creative bliss, confidence, discovery, empathy, friendship, harmony, joy, logic, love, magnanimity, mastery, movement, mystery, perfection, sacrifice, sharing, unity, winning, and wonder. Moral feelings relate to aesthetics.
criticism
Art criticism tries to find meaning or to explain aesthetic value, based on beauty, simplicity, forms, or principles. People can assign aesthetic value to objects and events. Competent art judges from different cultures tend to agree on basic aesthetic values, despite differences in materials, styles, subject matter, and intentions.
People can observe objects for their sakes, disinterestedly, without emotion, will, desire, or reasoning about utility, value, or morals {aesthetic distance}.
Objects and events can cause higher feelings {sublime}|.
People react differently to objects or events {taste, aesthetics}.
Concepts, things, and events can give pleasure in life or be important for survival {beauty}. Beauty depends on innate mental properties from ancient experience. Beauty creates desire to observe more.
In beautiful objects, ratio {Golden Mean}| of smaller section to larger section can be same as ratio of larger section to whole.
Life should not have defilement and pollution {tsumi}.
People can express what they feel {emotive theory of art}.
History and culture can affect art {institutional theory of art}.
Art can imitate nature {mimesis, art}|.
Things can have intrinsic and/or extrinsic value {value philosophy}, such as goodness, truth, beauty, and happiness. People can recognize value and respond in various ways. Good values are productive, permanent, not destructive, not temporary, personal, satisfying, liked, enjoyable, and pleasurable. Values can be experiences, perceptions, or attentions. They are not about functional utility, personal desires, truth, or perfection. They can be therapeutic. They can provide moral knowledge. They can explain history and culture.
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Date Modified: 2022.0225