AESTHETICS AND REPRESENTATION IN ART: AN EXAMINATION OF IMMANUEL KANT’S THEORY of AESTHETIC JUDGEMENT

Abstract

The concept of aesthetics in art and the workings of aesthetic judgement must be examined within a philosophical framework. Aesthetics is, in general terms, a discipline concerned with the perception of beauty. It is shaped by the interplay between universality and subjective taste. Art also embodies an aesthetic understanding. Aesthetic understanding is based on appearances and is regarded as a flow of sensations. The concept of ‘beauty’ is grounded in sensation. The arts—such as literature, sculpture, painting, music, and so on—rely on the senses; yet these senses serve to unite the subject and the work. For a rationalist aesthetic, beauty is determined solely by reason. The concept of beauty is based on fundamental elements such as symmetry, unity and balance, which can be grasped rationally. In this respect, aesthetics constructs beauty intellectually. The aesthetic object, however, consists of a synthesis and complex of sensations. Aesthetics is fundamentally based on sensations and perceptual experiences. It serves not only as a foundation for the plastic arts but also, in the spiritual and intellectual realms—such as literature—which have moved away from the sensory sphere, it still relies on sensations. Aesthetic value is subjective and is always considered in conjunction with the subject. This study aims to examine the functioning and nature of aesthetic judgement, demonstrating that it is not merely a matter of individual pleasure. The study explores the role of aesthetics in the processes of perception and artistic production, as well as the philosophical foundations of aesthetic thought. Within the framework of Kantian aesthetics, an attempt will be made to analyse the aesthetic experience through the concepts of the sublime and subjective universality. In this context, the aim is to reveal the intellectual