Aestheticism

Aestheticism, often used in high colloquial language in the derogatory sense, is a view of art and life attitude ( the aesthetic ) looks beautiful in the highest value. Ethics, knowledge, religion, social issues are the " beautiful" by and subordinate to ( aesthetic amorality ). The aestheticism also influenced philosophical and scientific aspects, such as the views of Ernst Haeckel and Carl Gustav Carus on the question of animacy / soulfulness of crystals show.

First aestheticist tendencies came to the Renaissance, when art emancipated from their religious Kanonik and artistic activity peeled off from its medieval monastic connection with work or urban crafts. In the 18th century Immanuel Kant defined "beauty" as pleasure without interest.

The modern aestheticism has its roots in the Romantic ( Friedrich Schlegel, Chateaubriand ). Théophile Gautier in 1834 authored the preface is considered to his novel Mademoiselle de Maupin as groundbreaking, in which he only confers the purpose of outdoor beauty and called everything useful as ugly. 1891 Oscar Wilde's preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray into a kind of manifesto of aestheticism. Ludwig Tieck had suggested to stylize life as a work of art. In the 19th century, a native of the English- Scottish concept of the dandy came up with the aestheticism since then is referred to as a life form.

From 1885 to 1915 influenced the aestheticism Impressionism, symbolism and the individual Poetologies absolute seal. Counter-currents were realism, naturalism, and in Germany from 1900, the neoclassicism.

Representatives of aestheticism are Walter Pater, John Ruskin, Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley, Frederic Lord Leighton, Stéphane Mallarmé, Stefan George and Gabriele D' Annunzio. Thomas Mann's story Tristan parodies aestheticism and dandyism.

Exhibition

• 2011: The Cult of Beauty. The Aesthetic Movement 1860 - 1900, Victoria and Albert Museum, London and then at the Musée d' Orsay, Paris