The Minimalist Photographer

Aesthetics

While composition can be seen as the specific, aesthetics is the general. Aesthetics provides the overall context within which individual compositions are made. My favorite definition of aesthetics, as defined by scholars in the field, is “the critical reflection on art, culture, and nature.” Let’s examine this a little.

Applied art is when the work’s primary function is something other than to be seen as a thing of beauty. Fine art is when the work serves no function beyond itself.

Art comes in two overall flavors, regardless of medium: applied art and fine art. Applied art is when the work’s primary function is something other than to be seen as a thing of beauty. All advertising and marketing material falls into this category, as ...