Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy that deals with understanding and analyzing beauty. It’s the theoretical principles behind why something is appealing to you. This can be anything from a painting, piece of clothing, a song, or even a person.

Any time you find something beautiful, you are experiencing aesthetics. However, this does not explain why it appeals to you on so many levels. What exactly makes something so attractive? Let’s take a look at why we love aesthetics and the reasoning behind it.

What Does Aesthetics Mean?

Aesthetics is the study of beauty and the creation of art. It’s composed of the philosophical principles of why something is considered beautiful. For example, when you see a beautiful painting you want, it attempts to make sense of why it’s so appealing to you.

What you see is just a bunch of colors and lines put together to form a picture. But conceptually, it’s more than that. It’s the contrast in colors, the flow of the lines and the overall composition that makes it appealing. That’s aesthetics.

But the question remains, why do we care about aesthetics? What makes it important? There are a lot of reasons why aesthetics are important. For one, it can greatly influence your decisions.

That painting you saw earlier and had to have? It may have cost you $1000. But did you need it? No. It pleased your senses in some abstract way. But that’s another reason altogether. We’ll get to that soon.

The Importance of Aesthetics

You may not realize it, but aesthetics plays a huge role in your daily life. It can heavily influence how you feel and it can even make or break your day. You may be surprised to know that aesthetics is connected with our emotions and moods.

It can even influence our health and how we feel physically. For example, if you’re feeling down and you’re in a room that’s dark and dull, it can lower your mood even more.

On the other hand, if you’re in a room that’s bright and colorful, it can make you feel a little better. That’s because aesthetics can effect our emotions and moods.

What Makes Something Beautiful According to Aesthetics?

If aesthetics is the study of beauty, then the question remains – what makes something beautiful? Well, you probably know that many things can make something beautiful.

However, there are certain characteristics that are theoretically considered to make something aesthetically pleasing:

Symmetry

A lot of the things we consider beautiful have symmetry. This can range from a beautiful garden to a painting. What makes symmetry so appealing is that it ties in with a very important aspect of aesthetics – the golden ratio.

In the case of symmetry, the golden ratio is attained when the two halves of a shape, line or image are in a 1:1 relationship.

Proportion

This is another aspect of aesthetics that makes things beautiful. Something that has good proportions is considered beautiful. One very important aspect of proportions is the golden ratio. But it’s not just about aesthetic proportions.

It’s also about the emotional states that you’re comfortable in. For example, a couch that is too big for the room or a chair that is too small for the person sitting on it can make the person feel uncomfortable.

Color

The combination and flow of colors are an important aspect of aesthetics. Now, this is a more subjective thing. For example, let’s say you like painting landscapes with a lot of greens.

But someone else may not like it. This is because what makes green aesthetically pleasing to you may not be the same for the other person.

Texture

The texture of a thing can make it beautiful. For example, soft and silky fabric is considered beautiful. So is a rough and rugged stone. The texture of a material can make it aesthetically pleasing.

Light

Light is very important when it comes to aesthetics. The quality of the light can make or break a room. It can make it appear dull, lifeless and dark or it can make it appear bright, fresh and inviting.

Composition

This is another aspect of aesthetics that makes something beautiful. It’s the way a thing is put together. A good composition can make something more appealing than one without. For example, a painting with the subject and a scenic background- a beach or forest with objects, such as the sun, positioned in a certain angle.

How Our Mind Plays a Role in Aesthetics

Now that we have a good idea of what makes things beautiful, let’s talk about why and how our mind plays a role in aesthetics. What makes something that we think is ugly, or beautiful?

While we may not always be conscious of it, our minds are deeply connected and play a huge role in aesthetics. There are a few things that happen inside our minds when we like something aesthetically. Let’s break them down.

Physiological Responses:

Our brains can cause our bodies to respond physiologically when we like something. For example, if you like coffee because it makes you feel good after drinking it, that’s because your brain triggered a physiological response in your body – the release of dopamine. It’s what happens when you take caffeine.

Emotional Responses:

When we like something, our minds can cause us to experience an emotional response. For example, if you like a painting, it can make you feel sad. It can also make you feel happy and excited, or it can even make you feel like you’re in love! These are all emotional responses triggered by your mind.

Associations:

The things we like can cause us to associate memories and experiences with them. For example, if you like a certain type of food, it can trigger nostalgic memories of past experiences, making you feel like you’re in a particular situation. You can also associate your experiences with people you are sharing the same pleasurable type of food or things with.

Universality and Culture in Aesthetics Judgement

It’s important to note that there are certain universals in aesthetic judgments. Certain things are always considered beautiful, such as excellent health. Similarly, some things are considered beautiful in certain cultures but not in others.

For example, a lot of people in western cultures find symmetry beautiful. But there are other cultures where asymmetry is considered beautiful.

Patterns and proportions are another aspect of aesthetics that are not universal; some cultures consider certain patterns and proportions beautiful while in others they are not.

When it comes to aesthetic judgments, certain things are more culture-dependent than others. For instance, color is more culture-dependent than the other aspects of aesthetics. This is because certain standards of beauty can vary from culture to culture.

Bottom line

Aesthetics is the philosophical study of beauty. It’s the theoretical principles behind why something is considered beautiful and why it appeals to you. Many things can make something beautiful.

There are certain characteristics that make something aesthetically pleasing. When it comes to aesthetic judgments, certain things are more culture-dependent than others. But when it comes to universals, somethings are always considered beautiful no matter what culture you’re from.