"Aesthetics (also esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and the nature of taste..."
Deals with the nature of beauty and art.
Beauty: Refers to the quality or characteristic of an object or entity that gives it pleasure or satisfaction.
Art: The creation or expression of human imagination and creativity in a visual or auditory form.
Perception: The process of interpreting and making sense of sensory information.
Judgment: The act of forming an opinion or evaluation about an object or entity based on certain criteria or standards.
Taste: A person's individual preference or liking for certain kinds of beauty or art.
Context: The various cultural, historical, and social factors that influence the way people perceive and appreciate beauty and art.
Form: The physical or visual characteristics of an object or entity that give it a particular shape or structure.
Symbolism: The use of symbols and signs to represent or communicate deeper meanings and ideas.
Harmony: The balance and unity of different components or elements in a piece of art or aesthetic experience.
Emotion: The feelings and emotional responses that are elicited by beauty and art.
Plato's Aesthetics: Plato believed that beauty is an objective and metaphysical reality that we can access through knowledge. He believed that art should serve moral and educational purposes, and that it should depict ideal forms rather than the physical world.
Aristotle's Aesthetics: Aristotle believed that art imitates nature, and that its purpose is to provide pleasure and catharsis to the audience. He also believed that beauty is a subjective experience, and that it is a balance of unity, symmetry, and proportion.
Kant's Aesthetics: Kant believed that aesthetics is a subjective experience, and that beauty is a feeling rather than an objective reality. He believed that our judgments of beauty are based on the harmony between our cognitive faculties of imagination and understanding.
Hegel's Aesthetics: Hegel believed that art is a reflection of the spirit of its time, and that it represents a historical development of human consciousness. He believed that art is a means for humans to reach a higher level of spiritual consciousness, and that it has the power to transform social and political institutions.
Nietzsche's Aesthetics: Nietzsche believed that art is a way to create value and meaning in a world that is otherwise meaningless. He believed that art should be created for its own sake, rather than for moral or educational purposes, and that it should reflect the individuality and creativity of the artist.
Schopenhauer's Aesthetics: Schopenhauer believed that beauty is a transcendental reality that is independent of our subjective experience. He believed that art is a way to escape the suffering of the world and to connect with the universal will that underlies all existence.
"...the function of aesthetics is the 'critical reflection on art, culture and nature.'"
"Aesthetics examines the philosophy of aesthetic value, which is determined by critical judgements of artistic taste..."
"Aesthetics studies natural and artificial sources of experiences and how people form a judgement about those sources of experience."
"It considers what happens in our minds when we engage with objects or environments such as viewing visual art, listening to music, reading poetry, experiencing a play, watching a fashion show, movie, sports or even exploring various aspects of nature."
"The philosophy of art specifically studies how artists imagine, create, and perform works of art, as well as how people use, enjoy, and criticize art."
"Aesthetics considers why people like some works of art and not others..."
"...how art can affect moods or even our beliefs."
"Both aesthetics and the philosophy of art try to find answers to what exactly is art, artwork, or what makes good art."