Author: Johanna

AESTHETICS

– an idea of beauty

Ok, so let us talk about aesthetics. You might think that this is a quite difficult topic because the perception of aesthetics results from a subjective feeling and seems to be a matter of individual taste… BUT this meaning of aesthetics is just a widespread myth.

Originally: AESTHETIC is a word of Greek derivation: AISTHESIS
Aisthesis involves any kind of sensual perception and is not depending on convictions like „beautiful“ or „ugly“. But in the frame of our linguistic usage, the word aesthetics is mostly used as a synonym for beauty, harmony, elegance or a special style. It also represents a term that is differently seen and used in various fields and disciplines like Philosophy and literature, Architecture and Interior Design, Fashion and Industrial Design, Design and visualization, Music and Sound, Culinary, Information Technology, Psychology and of course the Arts…

And even though aesthetic is such an intangible and mental matter, that is related to issues like atmosphere, mood, aura, as well as sensual end emotional perception, the marketing sector is increasingly including aesthetic strategies for their missions.

In the frame of the aesthetic economy, aesthetic get (ab)used in a capitalistic intention to follow consumption goals and to manipulate clients. The sales sector systematically deploy commodity aesthetics and create stimulating experiences to cozen the people and make them resistant.

But let us leave this aggravating territory of marketing – at least this article is about aesthetics and this is a wonderful and omnipresent enriching issue of human’s life… maybe even a life philosophy.

In my opinion, aesthetics is also something we are always surrounded by and never consciously noticing. But having regard to all our environments and everyday items, we can see that every single of them was carefully designed and got constructed to fulfill a function. Here some very banal examples of (aesthetic) elements we are confronted with daily:

Of course, why shouldn’t we combine the useful and necessary aspect with a handsome look and an attractive handling.?! …to create our living environment more lovely.

But in my point of view, we can also discover aesthetics in immaterial, atmospherical and sensual perceived matters. According to this, I think the appearance of a few people and their (skilled) behavior can be aesthetic, too. Especially concerning to the

• Bearing and movements of a human body, as well as the gestures, facial expressions or a charismatic and elegant attitude
• Artful rhetoric including a comprehensive vocabulary, an intellectual but at the same time articulative verbalism, a harmonic or melodic accentuation, a pleasant vocal tone, and a charming quick-wittedness.

But at this point, individual perception and personal taste come again into play – if we consider aesthetics from the perspective of our usual linguistic usage…

But we can also identify and define some elements that will always correspond to the philosophy of aesthetics and create a general, natural harmony. I am talking about the basic principles of design and fundamental rules of visual arrangement. One of the most effective guidelines that will always work out and –in a way predetermined by nature, is the golden ratio.

In consideration of that, it seems so absurd to me that a Berlin platform for photography has generated an algorithm that is computing the beauty of pictures and its level of aesthetics.

Anyway, our modern world as well as, society is guided by trends and temporary impacts. –> And so design and visual expression are influenced by the particular Zeitgeist and accordingly to that –> human perception of aesthetics and the idea of what is beautiful and what ugly, is continuously changing and developing.

And I think that is ok as long as you are still having an own taste and personal principles. This is the only way to be an authentic person and I think nearly everything that is authentic is also aesthetic. So, be real – stay true!