art for art's sake
Beauty needs no justification
Art for art's sake is the principle that art needs no moral, political, or practical justification—its value lies in its beauty or formal qualities alone.
The phrase, from the French *l'art pour l'art*, emerged in 19th-century aestheticism as a rejection of didactic or utilitarian views of art: He believed in art for art's sake, not art as social commentary.
Freedom from external control
- self-expressionConveying one's inner world
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- disinterestednessAbsence of selfish motive
- intrinsic valueWorth independent of circumstance
nonutilitarian · purposelessness · self-sufficiency · detachment · self-contained · unworldliness · separation · isolation
Aesthetic excellence
- decadenceMoral decline through excess
- fin de siècleCentury's closing cultural moment
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
- aestheteLover of the beautiful
formalism · impressionism · art nouveau · sublime · picturesque · sensuality · ornamentation · elegance
Theory of beauty
- idealismBelief in noble principles
- formalismPrivileging structure over substance
- transcendentalismIntuition-based idealist philosophy
- KantGerman Enlightenment thinker
subjectivism · intuitionism · immateriality · contemplation · purposiveness
Skill in making objects
- techniqueSkilled way of performing
- masteryComplete skill or control
- refinementElegance of manner
- skillAcquired ability through practice
virtuosity · precision · polish · composition · brushwork · form · style · medium
Artistic nonconformist type
- avant-gardeInnovative cultural pioneers
- unconventionalDeparting from standard practice
- iconoclastAttacker of cherished beliefs
- countercultureRejection of mainstream values
rebel · dissent · radical · maverick · outsider · individualist · eccentric · subversive
independence
Freedom from external control
- self-expressionConveying one's inner world
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- disinterestednessAbsence of selfish motive
intrinsic value · nonutilitarian · purposelessness · self-sufficiency · detachment · self-contained · unworldliness · separation · isolation · ivory tower
beauty
Aesthetic excellence
- decadenceMoral decline through excess
- fin de siècleCentury's closing cultural moment
- symbolismRepresenting concepts through images
aesthete · formalism · impressionism · art nouveau · sublime · picturesque · sensuality · ornamentation · elegance · refinement
aesthetics
Theory of beauty
- idealismBelief in noble principles
- formalismPrivileging structure over substance
- transcendentalismIntuition-based idealist philosophy
Kant · subjectivism · intuitionism · immateriality · contemplation · purposiveness
craftsmanship
Skill in making objects
- techniqueSkilled way of performing
- masteryComplete skill or control
- refinementElegance of manner
skill · virtuosity · precision · polish · composition · brushwork · form · style · medium · palette
bohemian
Artistic nonconformist type
- avant-gardeInnovative cultural pioneers
- unconventionalDeparting from standard practice
- iconoclastAttacker of cherished beliefs
counterculture · rebel · dissent · radical · maverick · outsider · individualist · eccentric · subversive · contrarian
- Servet-i Fununornate language, French influence
- French LiteratureVictor Hugo, Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Dumas, Jules Verne
- art quotes
- Parnassian poetryimpersonality, anti-romanticism
- aestheticismtastefulness, connoisseurship, decadence, fin de siecle, dandyism
- aestheticsaesthetics, aesthetic, beauty, beautiful, ugly
art for art's sakepropaganda
Biased information for influence
commercial art · functional art · social realism · agitprop · political art
art for art's sakepolitical art
Expression advocating civic positions
activist art · protest art · social realism · revolutionary art · agitprop
artist, artistic, sake, arts, artistry, artisan, artless, artisanal, artfulness