Discuss the nature of Aesthetics and bring out its salient features.

The term Aesthetics come from the Greek word aesthesis, which literally means perception by the senses. Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that deals with art and beauty. Both of them are primarily related to perception. The basic concern of Aesthetics is axiological with focus on the questions related to the experience of beauty. Hence, the core concern of Aesthetics is beauty that we experience in our perception of objects in nature or in a work of art. It tries to formulate definitions of art and beauty. Art is generally defined as an artificial product. The term ‘Aesthetics’ appeared in Alexander Baumgarten,s ‘Reflections on Poetry’(1735).

 Aesthetic value of a poem or painting is closely related to the clear and distinct perception of the element of beauty in it. Hence, aesthetic experience of art is spontaneous, immediate and intuitive. It gives us pleasure if it is perceived as beautiful and we feel dejected if it looks ugly. According to Cambridge dictionary of philosophy, aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature of art and the character of our experience of art and of the natural environment. Issues related to art and beauty invite philosophic reflections. Aesthetic attitude, Beautiful, Ugly, Comic, Sublime, Creativity etc are the core themes of Aesthetics.

 Baumgarten tried to link aesthetics with the realm of senses and held that beauty is a property of the physical world. Aesthetics as an axiological discipline formulates definitions of art and beauty. It tries to explain the nature of art and its classification based on the medium of expression. It analyses the works of art and its nature on the basis of distinct theories and perspectives. The style, form and content of a work of art are some of the concerns in Aesthetics. A significant area of study is the creativity of human beings that reflects in any form of art. Hence, the concepts of genius, skill, inspiration, and incubation are important themes of Aesthetics. The concern for art and beauty had been as old as humanity. It continues in the contemporary age in new forms. Baumgarten’s work on Aesthetics was published in 1750. This attempt marks the beginning of modern aesthetics. It was widely held that the earliest reflections on aesthetics came mainly from the classical Greek philosophers like Aristotle and Plato. 

They distinguished between Expressive art (Poetry, music and dance) and Constructive art (Architecture, Sculpture and Painting). The contributions of Indian aestheticians are also valuable and unique. The held that the subject matter of aesthetics is something more than beauty. The pioneers of Indian Aesthetics like Bharata had tried to reconcile the subjective and objective aspects of aesthetic experience. Ego-consciousness is connected in the context of aesthetic enjoyment. Their theories of Rasa, Dhvani etc reflect the spiritualist inclination of early Indian theories of art and beauty. The history of Indian Aesthetics can be traced back to Vedic times that culminated in the concept of aesthetic experience as bliss. Aesthetics as a philosophical discipline is noted for its variety, complexity and novelty in its subject matter. It has been a central concern for philosophers in the East and West alike.