"Nothing is really beautiful unless it is useless; everything useful is ugly, for it expresses a need, and the needs of man are ignoble and disgusting, like his poor weak nature. The most useful place in a house is the lavatory."
Théophile Gautier
Aestheticism was an aesthetic, artistic, and literary movement of the late 19th century, focusing on the aesthetic value of art, over its moral, political, or social prescription or "goodness". Along with the Symbolists and Decadents, the Aestheticists were a reaction against Victorian morality and their didactic view of art. The aestheticist motto: "Art for art's sake".
Walter Pater and Oscar Wilde were the most famous aestheticists, however, the preference for form over function was echoed in the art and literature of late modernism: Ezra Pound, James Joyce, and Vladimir Nabokov. Within literary theory, aestheticism's influence can be seen most in the writings of Harold Bloom, as well as the postcritique theories of Susan Sontag & Rita Felski.
Beliefs
Aestheticism's main belief is that art is, and ought only to be, the slave of aesthetics. In other words, it is the aesthetic quality of a work that makes the work worth experiencing and talking about. The aestheticist only cares about whether or not a work of art is beautiful, instead of morally upstanding. As such, aesthetics should be the basis for criticism and literary theory.
The aestheticist believes that artistic beauty is the only thing in life worth pursuing, and whatever endeavor is taken in life without that central focus is deficient. As a result, his politics and philosophical beliefs are chosen through an aesthetic basis.
Personality and Behavior
Aestheticism is often aloof and doesn't understand why everyone is taking reality so seriously compared to imagination, beauty, and art--what really matters. He is constantly reading, looking at paintings, buying clothes, or making art himself. Often, he quotes his favorite passages; more often he changes them in order to more fully fit his own desires.
Nothing is more fun for aestheticism than having conversations, holding positions that he doesn't really believe in and only talks about them because it would be beautiful if he would believe in them, and then abandons the position once it becomes popular. In other words: he's a liar.
He's multilingual and knows more about art than you probably ever will.
Also, he goes out at night and does things considered immoral by most, but that's just because they don't understand beauty. Still, he hopes no one ever finds him out.
Relations
True Artists
Aesthetic Aaronism - You have aesthetics in your name so you're probably cool.
Anarcho-criticism - One of my favorite types of art!
Meritocracy - Art being rewarded by its own merits? Based!
LGBT Christianity - All my friends are both gay and Christian
Caesarism - I'm also obsessed with classical aesthetics, just make sure you allow for free expression.
Cosmopolitan Localism - I love making friends and disagreeing with them.
Dreamism - You're destined to fail, but it's a great effort! Please make a painting of what you see.
Feelism - I love lending my books to you.
Literatism - A greater poverty than illiterism I cannot imagine.
Filmism - Moving pictures? Based!
Vaporwave - Everyone confuses you with me, but I love your style.
Primitivism - wait a second, you're not the art movement
Urbanism - I love living in Paris!
Fantasyism - Please be real.
Ismism - Me but with politics.
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Almost there
1800ism - I was literally born in you but you're sometimes annoying.
Radical Apoliticism - I agree that we should spend less time with politics, but you haven't replaced it with anything. How about art?
Futurism - Your art and theories are awesome, but do we have to burn museums?
Artistic Absolutism - We both love art and artistic genius, but isn't all art iterative?
Neo-Paganism - The Greeks were great! Christians, Jews, and Muslims made some good art too though.
Butterism - A community of geniuses after killing everyone else? Based and cringe.- Depthism - Not all beautiful art has to be highbrow!
- Egoist hedonism - You're great at parties, but why don't you read more?
Internetism - I like the free access to art, but why is most of everything you make trash?
Misanthropy - I'd rather read than talk to people, but people also make my favorite art. Tough!- Western Preservationism - My favorite artists are Europeans, but I'm worried you're just racist.
Postmodernism - The last great artistic-philosophical-literary movement! But why do you hate me?
Fascism - I love that you care about aesthetics, but will you stop forcing me to write propaganda!?
Didacticists
Basic white girlism - You're willing to stop pursuing your artistic dreams just to be with me? Cringe!
Grecophobia - You don't know what you're destroying.
Post-Civilizationism - Sorry, but civilization created the greatest things of all time!
SJW Hivemind - When morality takes over aesthetics.
Moralitarianism - No, NO!
Nazism - I like your uniforms and architecture, but murder and book burnings? No thanks!
Politicism - Boring!
Terrorism - Destroying cultural monuments? You fool!
Trotskyism - Fake art lover!
Further Information
Literature
- The preface to Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray
- The preface and conclusion to Pater's Studies in the History of The Renaissance
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon
Manifestos
Wikipedia
Related
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