Aesthetics Facts For Kids

Diagram of the relation between aesthetic concepts. Philosophers debate whether aesthetic objects are material or intentional objects.[16]

According to Immanuel Kant, aesthetic judgments are subjective, universal, disinterested, and involve an interplay of sense, imagination, and understanding.[37]

Conventionalist definitions of art assert that art is a socially constructed category. They explain that readymade objects like Marcel Duchamp's Fountain are considered art by reference to established conventions.[50]

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Some categorizations of art forms focus on the medium used to express artistic ideas, such as the use of oil paint.[66]

The emotions artworks express are a central topic in the philosophy of art, such as the feelings of alienation and existential dread in Edvard Munch's 1893 painting The Scream.[72]

Dance is a performance art involving a series of bodily movements.[89]

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Architecture is an art that typically combines aesthetic with functional goals, such as Antoni Gaudí's Sagrada Família.[97]

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Evolutionary psychology examines the evolutionary function of aesthetic sensitivities, like preferences for environments conducive to survival, such as landscapes resembling the African savannah.[118]

Chinese aesthetics places specific emphasis on poetry, painting, and calligraphy. They are known as the three perfections and are sometimes combined in a single artwork, as in Kun Can's Landscape after Night Rain Shower.[132]