Many Aesthetes, most notably Oscar Wilde, even adopted public personas through which they lived according to Aesthetic principles.ġ872-75 Nocturne: Blue and Gold - Old Battersea Bridge To this end, Aestheticism embraced not only the 'high' arts, but also ceramics, metalwork, fashion, furniture-making, and interior design. The Aesthetic Movement maintained that art should not be confined to painting, sculpture, and architecture, but should be a part of everyday life.The movement took as its primary sources of inspiration Pre-Raphaelite painting's of flaming red haired beauties, medieval geometric designs, and Japanese motifs and aesthetics. Distinct from the Victorian preference for fussy decor, curvaceous forms, and abundant detail, Aesthetic art is characterized by subdued colors, geometric designs, and simplified linear forms.Instead, they focused on exploring color, form, and composition in the pursuit of beauty.

Aesthetic artists touted the adage 'art for art's sake,' divorcing art from its traditional obligation to convey a moral or socio-political message.

Some even revived pre-industrial techniques in the process. Rebelling against Victorian materiality and modern industrialism (particularly what they criticized as the impoverished and repetitive designs of consumer products created cheaply by 'soulless' machines), Aesthetic artists placed a premium on quality craftsmanship in the creation of all art.

Pinterest art aesthetic