A History of Six Ideas: An Essay in AestheticsThe history of aesthetics, like the histories of other sciences, may be treated in a two-fold manner: as the history of the men who created the field of study, or as the history of the questions that have been raised and resolved in the course of its pursuit. The earlier History of Aesthetics (3 volumes, 1960-68, English-language edition 1970-74) by the author of the present book was a history of men, of writers and artists who in centuries past have spoken up concerning beauty and art, form and crea tivity. The present book returns to the same subject, but treats it in a different way: as the history of aesthetic questions, concepts, theories. The matter of the two books, the previous and the present, is in part the same; but only in part: for the earlier book ended with the 17th century, while the present one brings the subject up to our own times. And from the 18th century to the 20th much happened in aesthetics; it was only in that period that aesthetics achieved recognition as a separate science, received a name of its own, and produced theories that early scholars and artists had never dreamed of. |
Contents
History of the concept | 11 |
Definition and theories | 41 |
History of classification | 50 |
Copyright | |
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18th century according aesthetic experience aestheticians Alberti ancient antiquity appeared applied Aquinas architect architecture Aristotle artist attitude baroque Batteux beauty and art called century B.C. classical cognition concept of art concept of beauty concept of creativity contemplation created creation creator defined definition distinction distinguished division emotional expression formulated functions Gorgias grace Greek harmony historian human idea illusion imitates reality inspiration interpretation judgements Kant kind later Leon Battista Alberti liberal arts likewise meaning mediaeval Middle Ages mimesis mimetic theory mind modern motif Muses nature novelty object ornament painter painting perfect period philosophers Plato pleasure Plotinus poet poetics poetry production proportion Renaissance romantic romanticism sciences sculpture sense shape Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz subjectivism subjectivist sublimity subtlety term theoreticians theory of art theory of beauty things thinkers thought tion treatise truth Ulrich of Strasbourg understood universal visual arts Vitruvius Warsaw University word writers wrote