Aesthetics

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Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that deals with art. It is concerned with three questions and their answers: What makes a thing art, as opposed to merely craft or decoration? What role should art play in man’s life? What makes a work of art good?

A work of art is a man-made object, but what distinguishes it from other man-made objects is that a work of art is made to be contemplated. The possible types of art (painting, sculpture, music, literature, dance, etc.) are limited by the nature of man’s senses and of what he can conceptualize; to be art, a work has to be perceptible and, at least in principle, understandable.

In man’s life, art allows a conceptual mind to focus on the end result of a whole system of abstractions, without having to deal with the myriad abstractions themselves. A work of art performs the same function as a word, in that it allows a whole body of knowledge to be summoned forth in a single frame of awareness. Many philosophical tomes can be written (and have been written) about the ideal man, for example, but a single sculpture or painting can present it all at once.

Judging the quality of a work of art is done by considering two things: its theme, and how well the artist has used technique to achieve that theme. The quality of a work of art is a separate issue from whether one agrees with its theme. (“It is not a contradiction to say, ‘It is a great work of art, but I don’t like it.’”) In [OPAR], Leonard Peikoff identifies three characteristics that a good work of art should have: selectivity with regard to subject, clarity, and integration.

Ayn Rand’s principal work on aesthetics is The Romantic Manifesto; she also gave a lecture course called The Art of Fiction, which Tore Boeckmann transcribed into a book. The latter, however, concentrates specifically on literature, which Ayn Rand paid special attention to, and on advice for aspiring writers. (Aspiring writers should also consider The Art of Nonfiction, because it covers some points common to both fiction and nonfiction.)