Introduction
The first use of the term aesthetics in something like its modern sense is commonly attributed to Alexander Baumgarten in 1735, although earlier studies in the 18th century by writers such as the third Earl of Shaftesbury (Anthony Ashley Cooper), Joseph Addison, Jean-Baptiste Du Bos, and Francis Hutcheson mark the first systematic inquiries into aesthetics in its familiar sense as a distinct branch of philosophy. Undoubtedly the 18th century saw the flourishing of inquiries into beauty, taste, the sublime, and genius, but few would be content to start a history of aesthetics in that century. For many centuries earlier, going back to ancient Greece, there had been philosophical reflection, even if only in a piecemeal fashion, on poetry, painting, music, and the beautiful, and these reflections had an enormous influence on later philosophizing. What is noticeable, though, is that prior to the 18th century it is not always clear where the boundary lies between aesthetics, as such, conceived as a distinctively philosophical inquiry into judgments of taste and the foundations of the arts and more general theorizing about art, including, for example, treatises on the arts often aimed at practitioners themselves. This bibliography operates under a number of constraints: it is, inevitably, highly selective; it focuses primarily, although not exclusively, on Western aesthetics; it draws quite a narrow boundary around what reasonably counts as aesthetics (or the philosophy of art); the entries are in English, some because the originals were in that language, the rest being in modern translations; the editions of the selected primary texts have been chosen for their accessibility and availability; and special emphasis has been given to works from the 18th century.
General Overviews
There are several works that seek to survey the history of aesthetics as a whole. Beardsley 1966 remains the most readable and accessible survey, useful for dipping into for particular periods as well as for gaining an illuminating overview when read right through. Bosanquet 2005 and Gilbert and Kuhn 1939 are both authoritative and informative, if somewhat dated in their perspective. Tatarkiewicz 2006 is a monumental work, especially useful for obscure details and for original source material. Kelly 1998 is an encyclopedia covering a large range of topics in aesthetics, including informative entries on the major historical figures.
Beardsley, Monroe. C. Aesthetics from Classical Greece to the Present: A Short History. New York: Macmillan, 1966.
An authoritative and much-admired survey by the father of modern analytical aesthetics.
Bosanquet, Bernard. A History of Aesthetic. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger, 2005.
The first comprehensive history of aesthetics in English by an influential idealist philosopher from the end of the 19th century. Originally published in 1892.
Gilbert, Katherine, and Helmut Kuhn. A History of Esthetics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1939.
For a long time a standard survey of the subject, although less well known and hardly used in the 21st century.
Kelly, Michael, ed. Encyclopedia of Aesthetics. 4 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Includes substantial articles on many of the most prominent contributors to aesthetics from Antiquity to the 20th century.
Tatarkiewicz, Wladyslaw. History of Aesthetics. 3 vols. New York: Continuum, 2006.
Originally published in Polish in 1962–1967, translated into English in 1970–1974. This is a comprehensive critical survey of the history of aesthetics up to the 18th century including extracts from original texts from each period.
back to top
Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content onthis page. Please subscribe or login.
How to Subscribe
Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here.
FAQs
History of aesthetics
The history of the philosophy of art as aesthetics covering the visual arts, the literary arts, the musical arts and other artists forms of expression can be dated back at least to Aristotle and the ancient Greeks.
Who started the aesthetic? ›
Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten
It is for this reason that Baumgarten is said to have "coined" the term aesthetics. Beauty to him corresponds to perfect sense-knowledge. Baumgarten reduces taste to an intellectual act and ignores the element of feeling.
Who is the father of aesthetics? ›
Wilde is considered the father of aesthetics, which is the literary study of beauty in its natural form and its human perception. 6. Oscar Wilde was one of the first writers of the nineteenth century who started to question the literary structures of classic and religious literature.
What is the history of esthetics? ›
The roots of esthetics can be traced back to ancient times, when women in ancient civilizations like Egypt, Greece, and Rome used natural ingredients and rituals to improve the appearance of their skin.
Who made aesthetics popular? ›
During the first decades of modern philosophy, aesthetics flourished, not in the works of the great philosophers, but in the writings of such minor figures as Baltasar Gracián, Jean de La Bruyère (who began the study of taste that was to dominate aesthetics for a century), and Georges-Louis Leclerc, comte de Buffon.
What is the philosophy behind aesthetics? ›
aesthetics, the philosophical study of beauty and taste. It is closely related to the philosophy of art, which is concerned with the nature of art and the concepts in terms of which individual works of art are interpreted and evaluated.
What is the purpose of aesthetics? ›
So the purpose of aesthetics is to enhance an individual's natural beauty, said Dr. Shamban, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the UCLA-Geffen School of Medicine, and owner and director of AVA MD, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, Calif.
What is the main concern of aesthetics? ›
Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and appreciation of art, beauty and good taste. It has also been defined as "critical reflection on art, culture and nature".
What are the theories of aesthetics? ›
Aesthetic theories define artworks as artifacts intentionally designed to trigger aesthetic experiences in consumers. Aesthetic experiences are experiences of the aesthetic qualities of artworks.
Who popularized the Aesthetic movement? ›
Walter Pater (born August 4, 1839, Shadwell, London, England—died July 30, 1894, Oxford, Oxfordshire) was an English critic, essayist, and humanist whose advocacy of “art for art's sake” became a cardinal doctrine of the movement known as Aestheticism.
The aesthetic was first defined on Tumblr around the mid-2010s. In 2020, TikTok and Instagram contributed to a sharp increase in popularity.
What is the real meaning of aesthetic? ›
/esˈθet̬·ɪk/ relating to the enjoyment or study of beauty, or showing great beauty: Those buildings have little aesthetic appeal.
How did the aesthetics start? ›
The first use of the term aesthetics in something like its modern sense is commonly attributed to Alexander Baumgarten in 1735, although earlier studies in the 18th century by writers such as the third Earl of Shaftesbury (Anthony Ashley Cooper), Joseph Addison, Jean-Baptiste Du Bos, and Francis Hutcheson mark the ...
What is the evolution of aesthetics? ›
Evolutionary aesthetics refers to evolutionary psychology theories in which the basic aesthetic preferences of hom*o sapiens are argued to have evolved in order to enhance survival and reproductive success.
Who invented the term aesthetics _____________? ›
Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten (born July 17, 1714, Berlin, Prussia [Germany]—died May 26, 1762, Frankfurt an der Oder) was a German philosopher and educator who coined the term aesthetics and established this discipline as a distinct field of philosophical inquiry.
Where does aesthetic come from? ›
Where does aesthetic come from? Tumblr kids might want to imagine that they made up aesthetic, but they ultimately have 18th-century German philosopher Alexander Baumgarten for coining aesthetics, recorded in English in the 1760–70s.
Where did aestheticism originate? ›
Aestheticism was named by the critic Walter Hamilton in The Aesthetic Movement in England in 1882. By the 1890s, decadence, a term with origins in common with aestheticism, was in use across Europe.
What is the Greek origin of aesthetics? ›
Aesthetics is derived from the Greek word "aisthetikos" defined as a perception of the senses. In aesthetics, there is a process of individual analysis, perception and imagination. Perception is defined as an individual's neurophysiological process of awareness and interpreting external stimuli.
