aestheticist
Art-for-art's-sake believer
An aestheticist is someone who prioritizes beauty and artistic experience above other values—moral, practical, or political.
The term often describes adherents of the 19th-century Aesthetic Movement, which championed "art for art's sake," but applies to anyone who elevates aesthetic considerations: As an aestheticist, she cared more about how the room looked than whether it was functional.
Father, in Latin
- WildeAnglo-Irish family name
- decadenceMoral decline through excess
- formalismPrivileging structure over substance
- hedonismPursuit of gratification
idealism · Ruskin · Kant · Baudelaire · dandyism · romanticism · symbolism · fin-de-siècle
Refined, graceful quality
- sophisticationCultured elegance and complexity
- refinementElegance of manner
- polishSmooth by rubbing
- chicTasteful, current flair
taste · fashion · couture · dandyism · sartorial · adornment · decoration · ornamentation
Aesthetic excellence
- eleganceRefined, graceful quality
- harmonyAgreement or musical blend
- symmetryInvariance under transformation
- proportionComparative relation of parts
color · form · texture · luminosity · tone · rhythm · balance · contrast
Expert in matters of taste
- aficionadoKnowledgeable, passionate follower
- dilettanteSuperficial pursuer of arts
- tastemakerOne who shapes trends
- arbiterOne who settles disputes
critic · collector · patron · savant · sophisticate · virtuoso · discernment · discrimination
Space for displaying artwork
- salonGrooming establishment or gathering
- canvasHeavy woven cloth
- sculptureShaped three-dimensional art
- compositionArranged elements forming whole
brushwork · impressionism · symbolism · Pre-Raphaelite · ornamentation · belles-lettres · craftsmanship · artistry
Pater
Father, in Latin
- WildeAnglo-Irish family name
- decadenceMoral decline through excess
- formalismPrivileging structure over substance
hedonism · idealism · Ruskin · Kant · Baudelaire · dandyism · romanticism · symbolism · fin-de-siècle · sensibility
elegance
Refined, graceful quality
- sophisticationCultured elegance and complexity
- refinementElegance of manner
- polishSmooth by rubbing
chic · taste · fashion · couture · dandyism · sartorial · adornment · decoration · ornamentation · stylist
beauty
Aesthetic excellence
- eleganceRefined, graceful quality
- harmonyAgreement or musical blend
- symmetryInvariance under transformation
proportion · color · form · texture · luminosity · tone · rhythm · balance · contrast · delicacy
connoisseur
Expert in matters of taste
- aficionadoKnowledgeable, passionate follower
- dilettanteSuperficial pursuer of arts
- tastemakerOne who shapes trends
arbiter · critic · collector · patron · savant · sophisticate · virtuoso · discernment · discrimination · judgment
gallery
Space for displaying artwork
- salonGrooming establishment or gathering
- canvasHeavy woven cloth
- sculptureShaped three-dimensional art
composition · brushwork · impressionism · symbolism · Pre-Raphaelite · ornamentation · belles-lettres · craftsmanship · artistry · masterwork
aestheticistmoralist
One preaching right conduct
ethicist · puritan · moralizer · utilitarian · pragmatist
aestheticistphilistine
Art-dismissing ignoramus
vulgarian · pragmatist · utilitarian · functionalist · materialist