As you may have already noticed, the appeal behind “aesthetics” or aesthetically pleasing content is a major trend on social media and an important genre of content on many platforms. For instance, apps such as Pinterest have become known for their content that caters for the idea of aesthetically pleasing images for people to gain inspiration and create mood boards. Despite becoming very popularized in the last decade, aesthetics has always been an essential part of humankind and even has its art movement. Therefore, today I wanted to discuss why aesthetically pleasing content catches our attention and the craze behind it.
The Aesthetic Movement
The Aesthetic Movement was a turning point for the perception of art during the mid-19th century as it was established to create “art for art’s sake.” Thus, it led to changes in painting, sculpture, literature, and interior design while focusing on the pursuit of beauty and self-expressionism. In other words, aestheticism focused on representing what an individual personally viewed as beautiful, which meant self-expression was a vital element of this art movement. Majority of the art during this period valued craftsmanship, colour, and composition rather than using art to convey societal messages. Overall, the purpose of aestheticism was to be included in everyday life and not just confined to the different mediums of art and literature.
Notable Artists
There are many important artists and individuals who have greatly contributed to the popularization of the Aesthetic Movement. Some of the most notable would include Oscar Wilde and Walter Pater. Oscar Wilde is an important figure within this movement as he was a prominent vocal supporter and believed in the literary study of beauty by challenging classical literary structure. On the other hand, Walter Pater is known for his phrase ”art for art’s sake,” and he supported the artistic experience behind Aestheticism. He was also regarded as an inspiration to Oscar Wilde.
Aesthetics In Terms of Content
As mentioned previously, aesthetics has become a popularized trend on social media and has also had its involvement in business, fashion, architecture, and many more fields. Aesthetics has also become an area of study in school within design and contemporary art. Essentially, it has established itself as a vital part of modern society and is constantly considered when completing tasks at school or at work. In terms of content, there are a variety of aesthetically pleasing lifestyle videos on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube. As well as, aestheticism can be found in modern literature, more specifically in poetry. On social media, having a specific aesthetic allows creators to establish a “niche” audience and expand their audience by creating a distinct form of content based on their identity and self-expression. For example, a content creator whose aesthetic is Dark Academia can create posts regarding fashion, books, and art that relates to that topic. Additionally, an individual can use mood, tone, style to create a visual look for their content that separates them from other content creators. The appeal behind aesthetics comes from the fact that establishing an aesthetic that is unique to you allows your content to become more memorable for others and allows individuals to express their creativity while sharing it with other like-minded people.
Different Aesthetics Popular Today
Currently, there are many different types of aesthetics, and they can be explored through the creation of mood boards or scrolling through apps such as Pinterest and Instagram. Aesthetics can be found in art, clothing style, and in images. Images have the ability to showcase many different emotions at one time and allow for each person to relate and perceive what is shown accordingly. Therefore, photography is key to promoting the different aesthetics popular today. Some of which include: Dark Academia, Light Academia, Cottage core, Monochromatic, and Alternative.
