Aesthetic Movement
Aesthetic Movement a literary and artistic movement which flourished in England in the 1880s, devoted to ‘art for art's sake’ and rejecting the notion that art should have a social or moral purpose. Its chief exponents included Oscar Wilde, Max Beerbohm, Aubrey Beardsley, and others associated with the journal the Yellow Book.
The word is recorded from the late 18th century, in the sense ‘relating to perception by the senses’, and comes ultimately from Greek aisthesthai ‘perceive’. The sense ‘concerned with beauty’ was coined in German in the mid 18th century and adopted into English in the early 19th century, but its use was controversial until much later in the century.
The word is recorded from the late 18th century, in the sense ‘relating to perception by the senses’, and comes ultimately from Greek aisthesthai ‘perceive’. The sense ‘concerned with beauty’ was coined in German in the mid 18th century and adopted into English in the early 19th century, but its use was controversial until much later in the century.
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Aesthetic Movement