Aesthetic Theory was published posthumously by German philosopher Theodor Adorno in 1970. It is a summary of nearly a decade of researched into the philosophical studies of art, sociology, politics, and metaphysics. Within its pages, the historical evolution of art is traced while also looking at modern capitalist societies and their progression.
It is often referred to as one of the most important books or publications that has covered aesthetics in the 20th century.
What Is Aesthetics in Relation to Art?
Have you ever heard the expression, “Beauty is in the eye on the beholder”? This is a reflection of what aesthetics is to art. It’s the philosophical expression of beauty, art, and taste in regards to the creation and appreciation of expression.
Art has the ability to create or alter sensory values or emotional reactions, which aesthetics refers to as a judgment of taste or sentiment. When any form of creative expression is viewed, there will be an individualized reaction to that artwork. Whether it is positively or negatively criticized, the process of forming an opinion resides within the aesthetic theory.
What Is Different About Adorno’s Aesthetic Theory?
Adorno theorizes that the aesthetics of modern art are different than previous movements in the past because there is more freedom in 20th century art. Instead of requiring artists to follow imperial or “cult” functions, the modern artist is allowed to use their skills and autonomy to create social commentary.
Instead of artwork having strong aesthetics through politicized content, Adorno believed that “truth content” in artwork was its greatest strength.
This means, according to Adorno, that beauty isn’t always in the eye of the beholder. Because each piece of art has its own “truth content” that can be discovered, there is one specific message to be discovered within an artist’s creativity. Although there will always be an individualized interpretation of that artwork, both positive and negative, those interpretations do not define the artist’s work.
In other words, any creative expression has the ability to have its own form of self-consciousness.
How Do We Perceive Beauty in a Visual Manner?
When people perceive beauty through aesthetics, even in artwork, it can be viewed through a series of mathematical equations. Considerations such as complexity and symmetry allow the human mind to analyze the content it is viewing to determine whether or not there is something beautiful being seen in that moment.
If an individual sees something that is appealing because it has elements of symmetry and complexity within it, then there is a good chance that the individual will approve of the creative expression that has been viewed. Political thoughts, emotional reactions, and other feelings may attempt to override this initial reaction, sometimes successfully, but that doesn’t make the artwork any less beautiful at its base level.
For Adorno, this meant that artwork could be used to create social commentaries that could be potentially influential to the general population. By incorporating the mathematic principles of aesthetics to creative expression, it could become possible to influence people through their natural reactions to “truth content.”
How to Find Truth Content in Modern Artwork
Because of the institutionalized artwork of previous generations, Adorno believes that it is mostly modern art which contains the “truth content” that can be found. Aesthetic theory encourages individuals to stop settling for an initial reaction to a creative piece and the thoughts or feelings that initial reaction may cause. He encourages people to dig deeper, looking at the fine details of each stroke or word, to determine what the full meaning of the creative expression is attempting to communicate.
Finding truth content in modern artwork is not always easy. Some creative expressions are not trying to make a social commentary. Others may be overly aggressive with their commentaries, making it difficult to locate any underlying meaning. Anorno’s aesthetic theory says that by taking an individual perception away from society while viewing artwork, it becomes possible to see how the artwork compares to the traditions of the day, with truth content found in the relationship between multiple dialectical interactions.
What Theodor Adorno’s Aesthetic Theory Means for You
Creative expressions are essentially a form of the subconscious become part of your daily reality. Creating artwork in any form allows you to communicate a core idea that is important to you at that moment. This is your truth content.
If you can focus on this truth content and weave your artwork around it, then you have created a unique form of expression that makes your key points hit home.
Adorno never saw his theory published, but it has become an integral component of modern aesthetics.