Aesthetic Perspective and Aesthetic Criteria An aesthetic perspective is the idiosyncratic method used by a person for judging the quality of artworks. Traditional writings on aesthetics may refer to an aesthetic perspective as being “taste,” such as those by Immanuel Kant[1] and David Hume[2]. People prefer artworks
that contain the aesthetic features that they associate with good artworks,
while they dislike artworks lacking in those features or containing features
they associate with bad artworks. Because aesthetic perspectives vary
between people, this idiosyncrasy causes people to have different interpretations
of a specific work. When experiencing the same artwork, people will vary
according to which aesthetic features they notice, which they understand,
and which aesthetic criteria they use for evaluating features. An aesthetic
perspective is comprised of the following components:
Various aesthetic criteria will be described within this book, each designated with the name of an associated feature followed by the word “aesthetics.” The criterion small technology aesthetics, for instance, is associated with the feature “small technology,” while the criterion multi-concept aesthetics is associated with the feature “multiple concepts.” Although this text does not propose that a specific aesthetic perspective is universally better than another, it does support the notion that a particular aesthetic perspective may be better for a particular person. A person experiences only a portion of the aesthetic features contained within a work because some will be imperceptible, incomprehensible, or irrelevant to that person. As a result, the same aesthetic features within a work will be experienced differently by different people. For example, imagine a computer animation whose primary feature is a symbolic shape that is associated with a certain religion. Audience members who are familiar with the symbolism of the shape will interpret it differently than those who are not. The specific features of a work that are experienced by people are determined by their knowledge and awareness of those features. Some features, such as a work’s physical size, are objectively apparent to everyone; other features, such as symbolism, are comprehensible only by persons having appropriate knowledge. It is unlikely that all of the aesthetic features within an artwork will affect a person’s aesthetic judgement of it. The features that are acknowledged by a person’s aesthetic perspective are called regarded features because they have a capacity to affect that person’s aesthetic judgement. The counterpart of a regarded feature is a specific aesthetic criterion. If a person requires that good artworks be “meaningful,” then “meaningfulness” is an aesthetic criterion for this person. If this person perceives “meaningfulness” within a specific artwork, then “meaningfulness” is a regarded feature for this person. A disregarded feature is one that is acknowledged as being within a work, but its presence has no influence on a person’s judgement of it. A disregarded feature is contained within a work, but it is considered irrelevant to a work’s aesthetic value. A person may acknowledge that the frame of a photograph is constructed of wood, for example, but could consider this feature as being irrelevant to the aesthetic value of the photograph. Disregarded features are different from unapparent features. Features that are within a work but not perceived by a person are unapparent features, while those that are perceived by a person but considered irrelevant are disregarded features. If a person looks at a Renaissance painting but is unable to recognize its symbolism because of a lack of knowledge, the symbolism becomes an unapparent feature for this person. Another person may have the knowledge for comprehending the symbolism, but may consider it irrelevant to the painting’s aesthetic value. Although the symbolism is an apparent feature for this person, it is a disregarded feature because it has no influence on this person’s aesthetic judgement. Aesthetic Criteria An aesthetic criterion is an idiosyncratic rule that states the aesthetic value of a work will be affected by the presence of a certain aesthetic feature. An aesthetic criterion is fulfilled for an individual person when the aesthetic feature associated with the criterion is acknowledged as being present within the work being judged. Various aesthetic criteria will be described in this book using the name of an aesthetic feature followed by the word “aesthetics.” For example, idealistic aesthetics refers to an aesthetic criterion that responds to the presence of “idealism” within a work. For people who use this criterion, the acknowledged presence of idealism within a work will affect their aesthetic judgements. The fulfillment of a person’s aesthetic criterion will not always increase a work’s aesthetic value because an aesthetic criterion can be used in different manners. For some people, the fulfillment of a criterion will produce an increase in a work’s aesthetic value, but it will cause a reduction for otehr people. Also, a fulfilled criterion can have a minor or major influence on an aesthetic judgement, and people can use aesthetic criteria with or without awareness.
© Don Ritter
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Immanuel Kant. The Critique of Judgement, trans. James Creed. Meredith. (1790) David Hume, (1757) “Of the Standard of Taste” (1757). in Of the Standard of Taste and Other Essays. ed. John W. Lenz. (Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1965). |