Aesthetic Theories

1. Aesthetic Theories Joel Jones

2. Formalism The concept that a work's artistic value is entirely determined by its form--the way it is made, its purely visual aspects, and its medium. Formalism emphasizes compositional elements such as color, line, shape and texture rather than realism, context, and content. In visual art, formalism is a concept that posits that everything necessary to comprehending a work of art is contained within the work of art. The context for the work, including the reason for its creation, the historical background, and the life of the artist, is considered to be of secondary importance. “Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow”Piet Mondrianoil on canvas1930

3. Emotionalism Emotionalism bases its decisions about the success of an art work on the message contained within the work. The expressive quality is most important, a strong feeling for the mood and idea the artist wants the viewer to see. Lee Teter “Vietnam Reflections”

4. Imitationalism Imitationalism infers that only art that looks real or represents the subject matter realistically can be considered successful. The work must look like what we see in the real world. Sandra Sawyer “Watercolor Onion”