Credit: Heinrich Begehr
In a recent study, mathematicians from Freie Universität Berlin have demonstrated that planar tiling, or tessellation, is much more than a way to create a pretty pattern. Consisting of a surface covered by one or more geometric shapes with no gaps and no overlaps, tessellations can also be used as a precise tool for solving complex mathematical problems…….Continue reading….
Source: Phys
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Critics:
The domain of the aesthetic encompasses a variety of properties, objects, experiences, and judgments associated with beauty and artistic expression. However, the exact boundaries of this domain are disputed it is controversial whether there is a group of essential features shared by all aesthetic phenomena or whether they are more loosely related through family resemblances.
Another central topic concerns the relation between different aesthetic concepts, for example, whether the concept “aesthetic object” is defined through the concept of “aesthetic experience”. Aesthetic properties of an object are features that shape its aesthetic appeal or factors that influence aesthetic evaluations. For instance, when an art critic describes an artwork as great, vivid, or amusing, they express aesthetic properties of this artwork.
Some aesthetic properties focus on aesthetic value in general, like beautiful and ugly, while others center on more specific forms of value, such as graceful and elegant. Aesthetic properties can also refer to perceptual qualities of objects like balanced and vivid, to representational aspects like realistic and distorted, or to emotional responses such as joyful and angry.[
The precise distinction between aesthetic and non-aesthetic properties is disputed. According to one proposal, aesthetic properties require a specific aesthetic sensitivity in addition to the sensory perception of non-aesthetic properties, going beyond simple colors, shapes, and sounds. Aesthetic properties are associated with evaluations, but not all are intrinsically good or bad. For example, being a realistic representation may be aesthetically good in some artistic contexts and bad in others.
The school of realism argues that aesthetic properties are objective, mind-independent features of reality. A related proposal asserts that they are emergent properties dependent on non-aesthetic properties. According to this view, the beauty of a painting may emerge from the right combination of colors and shapes. A different position holds that aesthetic properties are response-dependent, for example, that features of objects only qualify as aesthetic properties if they evoke aesthetic experiences in observers.
The terms “aesthetic property” and “aesthetic quality” are often used interchangeably to refer to aspects such as beauty, sublimity, and grandeur. However, some philosophers distinguish the two, associating aesthetic properties with objective features and aesthetic qualities with subjective experiences and emotional responses. An aesthetic object is an object with aesthetic properties. One interpretation suggests that aesthetic objects are material entities that evoke aesthetic experiences.
According to this view, if a person admires an oil painting then the physical canvas and paint make up the aesthetic object. Another interpretation, associated with the school of phenomenology, argues that aesthetic objects are not material but intentional objects. Intentional objects are part of the content of experiences and their existence depends on the perceiver.
An intentional object may accurately reflect a material object, as in the case of veridical perceptions, but can also fail to do so, which happens during perceptual illusions. The phenomenological perspective focuses on the intentional object given in experience rather than the material object considered independently of the perceiver. Various theories of aesthetics are associated with specific philosophical schools of thought.
Marxist aesthetics examines the relation between art, class structure, and social ideology, exploring how art can enforce or challenge established power hierarchies. Feminist aesthetics criticizes male biases in aesthetic theory and artistic practice while exploring alternatives. It investigates unfair social institutions and aesthetic standards that disadvantage women and exclude them from the art world.
An example is the male gaze—a cultural phenomenon that treats women as objects of male spectatorship rather than as artistic creators. Postmodern aesthetics is a diverse movement that challenges established concepts and theories in the field of aesthetics. It typically rejects the focus on disinterested pleasure, the autonomy of art from other domains, and the distinction between high and popular art. It tends to promote a pluralism that embraces diversity, playfulness, and irony.
The term mathematical beauty refers to aesthetic qualities of abstract mathematical concepts and theories. For instance, a mathematical proof may be considered beautiful if it demonstrates a profound insight in an effective manner or reveals an underlying unity of seemingly disparate mathematical ideas. Computer art involves the use of computers in the creation of artworks.
It can take many forms, ranging from minor digital enhancements of existing artworks to entirely new creations generated using complex algorithms. Its abstract nature based on symbolic representation and manipulation of electronic signals distinguishes computer art from traditional forms of art, which rely on more tangible media. This medium offers new artistic possibilities, such as virtual reality and interactivity.
Rapid developments in artificial intelligence in the 21st century have significantly impacted computer art. They include the emergence of generative models—systems that are trained on existing media to create new texts, images, music, or videos in response to verbal descriptions of the intended result. Examples include ChatGPT, Stable Diffusion, MuseNet, and RunwayML.
Meta-aesthetics examines the fundamental assumptions and concepts underlying aesthetics. It asks about the existence of aesthetic facts, the meaning of aesthetic statements, and the ways of acquiring aesthetic knowledge. A central meta-aesthetic debate between realism and anti-realism addresses whether there are mind-independent aesthetic facts. A related discussion between cognitivism and non-cognitivism considers whether aesthetic statements can be objectively true or primarily express personal emotions..
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