Berana, Queencel A.

October 9, 2019

Saturday 2:30-5:00 PM

LECTURE NOTES ON AESTHETICS: THEORIES OF ART AND BEAUTY

By Dr. Allan C. Orate

Aesthetics is a branch of Philosophy that concerns with nature and essence of beauty. To understand
aesthetics, we must distinguish two things considering beauty: absolute and relative. The beauty is
absolute means that something is beautiful by virtue and beauty is relative means that something is
beautiful due to perception.

There are different aesthetic theories; Idealism, Functionalism, Hedonism, Conventionalism,

psychoanalytic, and formalism.

Aesthetic Idealism. For Plato, beauty is truth and reality. Based on his worldview, Plato theorized about
essence of art. As this world is appearance of reality and art is imitation of this world. For Aristotle, art is
also imitation of things while Leonardo says that "art is a window to nature". And Shakespeare noted
that "art is putting mirror up to nature".

Aesthetic Functionalism. This theory is traced back from Socrates. The view of aesthetics, the essence of
beauty is what things are supposed to do that it's their function. In architecture, functionalism is applied
mostly in creating structures. "forms follow function" means that the shape , size, space and other
formal properties of a building is determined by its use. According to Lucretius, art is a talent and skill for
doing things.

Aesthetic Hedonism. Is an ethical view of human life, formulated by Aristipus and Epicicurus both
believes that anything is whatever is good is what brings pleasurable experience to the individual
person. Food, money and sex are good because they give self-interested pleasure. Hedonism theory
considering our common experience of nature of art. Art is beautiful because of the sensuous delight it
affords us. Plato and Aristotle reject hedonism as an art theory they say that imitation can also bring
pleasure.

Aesthetic Conventionalism. In this theory, Thomas Hobbes claimed that the moral values of good and
bad depend on social agreement. Aesthetic Convventionalism believes that facts and concept of beauty
are inventions of people. Conventionalism is related to Institutional theory. g. For Arthur Danto and
George Dickie, what makes something an art is due to the “art world,” an institution composed of
groups of powerful people.

Aesthetic Psychoanalytic Theory. This theory is employed to uncover artists' desires, urges, inhibitions,
depression, or wishes which lie hidden in an artwork.