Aesthetics
and Design
BECM 2131
Course Instructor:
Lecture 02 Md. Towfik Hassan
Lecturer
Department of BECM, RUET
1
THE SUBJECT MATTER
and
Purpose of Aesthetics
2
Why do we play or listen to music?
Why do we go to the theatre?
Why do we travel?
Why do we design?
Why do we read or write poem?
3
AESTHETIC
ENJOYMENT
4
5
Do you listen to music while working?
6
Are there posters on your bedroom wall?
7
Or stickers
On your laptop?
8
Does the sight of a sunrise make you feel connected to
something greater than yourself? 9
Do you feel your spirits lift when you take in a sunset?
10
… . or a colorful bird?
11
Do you savor the first bite
of your favorite meal?
12
Are you emotionally connected
in the characters from your
favorite books or shows?
13
AESTHETIC
appreciation
14
An object of aesthetic appreciation is
defined as something that prompts
valuable aesthetic emotions in us.
As humans, we seem to be drawn
to these objects
15
Why do we play or listen to music?
Why do we go to the theatre?
Why do we travel?
Why do we design?
Why do we read or write poem?
16
We enjoy creative works….
tragic/cry……comedy/laughter…….brutal/hatred……
victory/joy……beauty/happy……
But why ?
Aesthetics attempts to answer this enquiry in a
proper and systematic way……………
17
The word Aesthetics comes from Greek Word “Aisthesis”
means- One who perceives
In answer, we can say that to perceive
tangibles world, realize its nature and
spirit, assimilation of its inner
beauty……… 18
Perceiving the Tangible World
Not just seeing/touching but also recognizing & acknowledging the existence of the world.
Walking through a forest, you observe the towering trees, hear the rustling leaves, feel the
cool breeze, and smell the damp earth.
Realizing Its Nature and Spirit
Understanding the philosophical, spiritual, or emotional lenses.
Watching a river flow, you realize its nature: water is constantly moving, adapting to
obstacles, and carving paths over time. Its spirit reflects resilience, persistence, and life-
giving properties.
Assimilating Its Inner Beauty
Appreciating the intricate, often hidden harmony, balance, and complexity within the world.
Observing a spider’s web glistening with morning dew, you notice its intricate design and
delicate balance. 19
Unfortunately, it is not easy to give a concise definition of
the subject matter of aesthetics
Due to its broad and complex nature in the
field of philosophy.
20
Aesthetics has a long history. In the course of its development, not only aesthetics views
changed but also range of questions it addresses have evolved significantly...............
Aristotle Poetics & nature of Beauty and Art.
Plato Educating man by art.
Socrates Relationship of Art with Ethics.
Thomas Aquinas To serve God with the help of Art.
Leonardo Da Vinci To examine the relationship of Nature and Art
Boileau To set standard for Art.
Baumgarten Analyze sensual cognition of the world.
Hegel Realm of the beautiful to define place of Art.
Marx Social role of Art.
21
Aesthetics has now transitioned from
a focus on individual morality and religious service (Plato, Aquinas)
to
exploring technical standards (Boileau), sensory cognition (Baumgarten),
and
ultimately the social and philosophical implications of art (Hegel, Marx).
22
Aesthetics
Study of how the mind beholds
beautiful objects.
23
Aesthetics
Branch of philosophy that explores the nature
of art, beauty, and taste, with the creation
and appreciation of beauty.
24
Defined as the study of subjective and sensory-emotional
values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste.
Aesthetics studies how artists imagine, create and perform works of art; how
people use, enjoy, and criticize art.
What happens in their minds when they look at paintings, listen to music, or read
poetry, and understand what they see and hear.
It also studies how they feel about art-- why they like some works and not others.
How art can affect their moods, beliefs, and attitude toward life.
More broadly, scholars in the field define aesthetics as
“Critical Reflection on Art, Culture and Nature”
25
AESTHETICS
is that
branch of knowledge
which deals with the
historically determined
essence of
Human values,
their creation, perception, appreciation
and
assimilation
26
Philosophers who ponder how and why aesthetic objects
have such a hold on us, and what value they serve in our
lives, are known as
aestheticians
27
Position of the subject aesthetics in the
field of KNOWLEDGE
Philosophy
Metaphysics Epistemology Axiology
(matter) (knowledge) (value)
Aesthetics
(Words) (Works) (Creativity)
28
Chief Topics of Aesthetics
• Essence of creativity
• Law of creativity
• Form of Aesthetic in life and creativity
• Man’s aesthetics approach
• Aesthetics view of the society
29
Questions of Aesthetics
What is Beauty?
What is Art?
30
Mona Lisa, Leonardo DaVinci 31
Starry Night, Vincent Van Gogh 32
Veronica, Pablo Picasso
33
BEAUTY
a multifaceted concept
that embodies
harmony, proportion, utility, and spiritual transcendence
which
shaped by cultural, historical, and subjective human
perceptions and the feelings
about the world around them.
34
What is
ART
35
A thought experiment
creative expression of human imagination, emotion, and intellect that seeks to
communicate ideas, evoke emotions, or reflect cultural and personal experiences
through various forms such as visual, auditory, or performative mediums.
36
Thank You
37
Aesthetics
and Design
BECM 2131
Course Instructor:
Lecture 03 Md. Towfik Hassan
Lecturer
Department of BECM, RUET
1
THE AESTHETIC
and
the artistic
2
The
Aesthetic
This is one of the more important problems of aesthetics,
which has not yet
been resolved to everyone's satisfaction.
The
Artistic
3
Some theorists believe that the aesthetic is tantamount to
the artistic, and that these terms are synonymous
However, activities like making a clock or jacket are aesthetic but not artistic,
as they don't create meaningful or conceptually loaded systems of images.
It is apparent therefore that Model 1 is fallacious.
Model 4
▪ Artistic activities go beyond functionality
and create something that is loaded with বাগিচায় বুলবুগল তু ই ফু ল শাখাতত গিসতে আজই দিাল।
concepts, symbolism, or deeper আতজা তা'র ফু ল কগলতির ঘুম টু তটগে,
meanings. তন্দ্রাতত গবতলাল।
▪ It evokes thoughts, emotions, or cultural বাগিচায় বুলবুগল তু ই ফু ল শাখাতত গিসতে আজই দিাল।
reflections through conceptually loaded
imagery. - কাজী েজরুল ইসলাম
▪ Making a clock requires attention to
design, proportions, and visual
appeal, which makes them aesthetic
activities.
▪ However, these activities are focused on
utility and practicality rather than creating
something that conveys profound ideas,
emotions, or systems of images.
Model 5
Other theorists (e.g. Max Dessoir, a German philosopher and psychologist)
regard the aesthetic and the artistic as unconnected
parallel notions (Model 2).
• aesthetics (the theory of activity according to the laws of the
beautiful outside the boundaries of art)
• the general theory of art (the theory of artistic activity within art).
However, this distinction is questionable, as aesthetic activity often evolves into
art. Both share many common laws that should be studied together.
Model 6
The third group of theorists think that, on the one hand,
aesthetic activity is broader than artistic and that the
latter is a particular case of the former,
man creates beauty not only in art (although in art this is always the case);
On the other hand, artistic activity is broader than
aesthetic and the latter is only an aspect and a particular
manifestation of the former,
taken in the entirety of its content and forms, artistic activity oversteps the
boundaries of creative work according to the laws of the beautiful only.
Model 7
We consider that the correct correlation of the aesthetic and the
artistic is expressed by Model 4, which maintains that -
Aesthetic is broader than the artistic.
Model 8
It highlights the historical and practical relationship between the two.
Aesthetic activity came first in human history. People were creating
beauty before formal art forms existed.
Artistic activity grew out of aesthetic activity. Over time, art became
the highest and most refined form of aesthetic activity, perfecting its principles
and making them ideal.
While all art is aesthetic, not all aesthetic activity is art. For example, a
beautifully arranged garden is aesthetic but not necessarily artistic.
Model 9
All sections of aesthetics that lie outside art are divided into -
Practical Aesthetics
Concerned with daily life, human behavior,
creative work in science sports, etc…
Technical Aesthetics
…or the theory of design
10
Practical aesthetics refers to the appreciation and application
of beauty in everyday life and functional activities.
It focuses on how well objects or systems serve their purpose while maintaining
visual appeal.
It seeks to harmonize utility and beauty across all aspects of human activity and
culture.
11
Technical aesthetics emphasizes the fusion of aesthetics with
technical or mechanical standards.
It ensures that designs not only look good but also meet specific technical
requirements, focusing on balancing engineering precision with visual appeal,
often in industrial or mechanical design.
In short, practical aesthetics is about functionality with beauty in everyday life,
while technical aesthetics is about harmonizing form with technical performance.
12
Thank You
13
Aesthetics
and Design
BECM 2131
Course Instructor:
Lecture 04 Md. Towfik Hassan
Lecturer
Department of BECM, RUET
The Relationship Between
Aesthetics
and
The Act of Creation
In the course of the history of aesthetics, two extreme
positions have been evolved on the question of its
relation to art:
• Normative Role
• Empirical Role
NORMATIV E ROLE
Boileau, the theorist of neo-classicism, saw
aesthetics as a science dictating to the artist
the norms and rules derived from philosophy
and politics.
NORMATIV E ROLE
▪ It suggests that aesthetics should prescribe rules and standards for art.
▪ This position holds that aesthetics defines what is "beautiful" or "artistic" based on
objective principles.
▪ Classical aesthetics, especially in Ancient Greece and the Renaissance,
emphasized harmony, proportion, and ideal forms.
▪ This approach assumes that aesthetic judgments should guide artistic
creation.
▪ Example: Classical sculptures and Renaissance paintings adhered to strict rules of
proportion and composition.
EMPIRICAL ROLE
Another French art critic, Hippolyte Taine,
maintained, on the contrary, that aesthetics
should trace the facts of art and pin them
down.
EMPIRICAL ROLE
▪ This position argues that aesthetics is descriptive rather than prescriptive.
▪ It seeks to understand how people actually experience and perceive beauty,
rather than imposing rigid rules.
▪ It focuses on individual and cultural variations in aesthetic perception.
▪ It views aesthetic appreciation as subjective and influenced by emotions,
psychology, and personal experiences.
▪ Example: Romanticism, Modernism, and Postmodernism, where art is seen as
evolving based on historical and cultural contexts.
Both extremes are equally unacceptable
for today's aesthetics.
According to Vissarion Belinsky, the 19th-century Russian literary critic –
"Aesthetics should not regard art as something thought up, an ideal which can
be made real only through aesthetic theory; no, it should view art as a
phenomenon which has long preceded it and which has brought it into being."
▪ Art is not created by theory or rules.
▪ Art exists naturally before anyone tries to explain it.
▪ Theories about art are developed later to understand it.
▪ Art is a part of human life long before aesthetic theories.
However, the historical
laws of art are not
absolute either.
Jean Georges Noverre, the founder of ballet performance, the "Shakespeare
of the dance”, said,
"The rules are all very well up to a certain limit... One
should be able to follow them, but also to reject them and
take them up again... Woe to the impassive artist clinging
to the narrow regulations of his art..."
A great artist oversteps the established boundaries
of creative activity.
But he cannot break all the laws. Rather, he modifies them in
accordance with the changed situation and the newly accumulated
experience, and very often the changes he introduces are quite
substantial. But his reformism is rooted in tradition, i.e. something that
has been retained for centuries.
Aesthetics sums up the experience of art and provides theoretical
substantiation and support for everything that is truly novel.
Thank You
