Islamic Art Studies

Islamic Art Studies

Art and Aesthetic Characteristics from the Perspectives of Kant and Nietzsche

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Rozita Rashedi 1
Mohammad Shokry 2
Ali Moradkhani 3
1 PhD student in philosophy of art, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran branch, Tehran, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3 3 Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/ias.2024.452086.2358
Abstract
Kant and Nietzsche are influential philosophers in the field of aesthetics. In Cartesian philosophy, man gains primacy as the subject—that is, the reference point for existence and truth becomes the subject. Consequently, beauty is subordinated to human feeling and perception, rendering it subjective. Kant consolidates the principles of Cartesian subjectivism, and the meaning of Cartesian subjectivism significantly influences the emergence of key concepts in Kant’s aesthetics. Through his transcendental philosophy, Kant establishes the subjective approach to the experience of beauty and aesthetic judgment. This article traces the evolution of aesthetics (esthetics) and its relationship with science, philosophy, and art during the Enlightenment, identifying points of convergence and divergence in their theoretical components. Using library resources and a descriptive-analytical method, the study reflects on and reinterprets the texts of Kant and Nietzsche, as well as their commentators, locating the roots of modern aesthetics in Descartes’ thought and his subjectivist foundations. For Kant, beauty is that which produces pleasure—disinterested, purposeless, universal, and devoid of utility. Nietzsche, however, rejects this Kantian definition, ironically referring to Kant’s separation of beauty from utility, pleasure, and goodness as "beauty in itself," dismissing it as an empty term. Nietzsche argues that disinterested aesthetic contemplation amounts to artistic castration, as he views art as a vital force against life’s absurdity.
Research Objectives:

Examining Kant’s and Nietzsche’s conceptions of the subjectivity of beauty.
Analyzing the characteristics of art in Kant’s and Nietzsche’s thought.

Research Questions:

What are the aesthetic elements in Kant’s and Nietzsche’s perspectives?
How is art defined in Kant’s and Nietzsche’s views?
Keywords
Aesthetics
Subjectivism
Kant
Nietzsche
Descartes

Subjects

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