AESTHETIC VALUES: CHARACTERISTICS, TYPES AND EXAMPLES - ART - 2025

The aesthetic values are those value judgments that people make regarding what they perceive. This notion also includes the emotions and feelings that these individuals experience when making such value judgments.

Examples of aesthetic values ​​are beauty, delicacy, harmony, the horrifying or the mysterious. A person might think that a work of art is beautiful and that it also has great harmony.

Examples of aesthetic values

From aesthetic values, human beings are capable of creating a thought structure that determines their ways of reacting to certain stimuli. This structure also defines deeper aspects related to decision making.

This type of value represents the reasons why people consider that something is pleasant or unpleasant to look at, or nice or unpleasant in relation to treatment. They are the starting point for mental constructions related to how human beings perceive the world around them.

Characteristics of aesthetic values

They are based on perceptions

Aesthetic values ​​are characterized because they represent the perception of a particular individual.

They have a high degree of subjectivity; For this reason there is no unanimity regarding these values, but each person has their own perception.

They can vary over time

Because they are based on perceptions, aesthetic values ​​are not usually maintained in the same way after time has elapsed.

Perceptions are intimately linked to specific times; Therefore, to the extent that the temporal context changes, perception will almost certainly change, and therefore the reference associated with aesthetic value.

They are based on personal values

As we have said before, aesthetic values ​​are highly subjective. This implies that this representation is based on what each individual considers valuable.

In this sense, elements of the personal history of each person are taken into account in the construction of aesthetic values.

Express like or dislike

An aesthetic value can represent irritation and annoyance, as well as satisfaction and taste. In any case, it will always be a sample of how the person in question perceives reality.

They convey feelings

The aesthetic values ​​do not only express the way of perceiving and thinking of an individual. They also represent emotions and feelings associated with that way of perceiving.

For this reason, through aesthetic values ​​it is possible to experience feelings as diverse as love, anger, discomfort, motivation or sadness, among others.

They are applicable to beings and / or elements

An individual can associate a certain aesthetic value with other people, with living beings in general (such as animals, plants or other organisms) or even with inanimate elements, such as works of art, pieces of decoration or pieces of furniture.

It is a personal perception of each individual; therefore, it can be applied to practically any element with which this person has contact.

They generate positive or negative reactions

The feelings that are associated with aesthetic values ​​can be negative or positive. In this sense, the reaction will depend clearly on the way in which the person is perceiving said object.

The environment and the stories of each person that have been associated with the stimulus with which the determined aesthetic value has been associated also has an influence.

Types

The aesthetic value of beauty is associated with harmony. Source: pixabay.com

Dissonant

Dissonant aesthetic values ​​are those that are related to elements that are less universally appreciated as pleasant. Complex feelings are awakened, such as those related to sadness, disgust, ridiculousness, the grotesque and the tragic, among others.

This type of values ​​tends to generate feelings of displeasure, although there are people who are capable of connecting with the deeper elements of what the stimulus wants to convey and, thanks to this, they perceive pleasant, or at least empathic, sensations.

Concordant

Concordant aesthetic values ​​are those that are considered harmonious and balanced; For this reason they generate more connection with those people who especially value harmony in all its contexts.

Although, as we have said before, aesthetic values ​​are essentially subjective, in the society in which we currently live, concordant values ​​tend to awaken feelings associated with tranquility and relaxation in a greater number of people.

Examples of aesthetic values

- Beauty

The notion of beauty is related to harmony and balance. It also has a strong relationship with what is mostly accepted by the members of a given society.

In general, what is considered beautiful should generate pleasure in the person who is exposed to said stimulus.

- ugliness

Ugliness is linked to items that are messy or are considered out of harmony. It can also be said that the ugly is the opposite of the beautiful, since both notions are considered opposite.

- Obscenity

This value is directly related to the culture in which individuals are immersed, since it refers to what is morally questionable.

Morality varies depending on the societies and the times, so this is one of the aesthetic values ​​that can generate the greatest differences of opinion.

- Majesty

This value is tied to what is considered great, great, or largely wonderful. It is a concordant value because it usually generates positive reactions, although the perception will always depend on each individual.

- Harmony

What is considered harmonic is that whose elements fit together perfectly. Thanks to this ideal fit, a single complete piece is generated with equal dimensions and proportions at all ends. It is about assessing the structural correspondence.

- Balance

This value refers to the stability of the components that make up a certain element.

The modules of balanced things generate offsets for each other, so the final effect is stable and has a lot of harmony. As can be inferred, the notions of balance and harmony are closely related.

- Tragedy

In the tragedy sad elements or elements that express grief are represented in a quite dramatic way.

In these stimuli there are usually high tones of nostalgia, and in the society in which we operate today, tragedy is associated with dark elements, which are considered dull and which generate feelings of distress.

- Comedy

It is contrary to tragedy: its main expression is related to fun, flowery and entertaining.

In most cases it arouses positive feelings, although the notion of comedy can vary in an evident and contrasting way between different societies, and even between members of the same society.

- Perfection

This value is given to what is considered free from defects or errors. This word comes from "perfectio" which means something finished, completely finished and that has reached the highest possible level.

- Solemnity

Solemnity refers to a high degree of seriousness and formality to the point of producing serious and heavy emotions without losing the trait of generating impression.

- Delicacy

A value that is linked to properties of fineness, smoothness or exquisiteness. As opposed to abruptness and roughness, delicacy is sometimes related to fragility or the care and detail with which a work of art could have been born.

- Grotesque

Refers to something in bad taste or highly exaggerated, uneven in delicacy or softness.

- Triviality

A value that appropriates the vulgar, the common, without depth or essence. It refers to the basic, unimportant and ordinary.

- Horribility

When something is defined as horrible, it is because it tends to cause displeasure or disgust when faced with it.

- Gloomy

Value related to the dark, tenebrous; it even has to do with death.

- Joy

Pleasant feeling linked to a good mood and satisfaction.

- Exquisiteness

Contrary to the value of the grotesque. It means good taste or refinement.

- Imposing

The value of the imposing is usually one of the most admired, because it is something great, amazing and magnificent.

- Chimeric

It comes from illusion, from the unreal and from the fantastic.

- Absurd

This value is given to the irrational, to what is outside logic and reason; out of the ordinary.

- Mystery

This value evokes what is secret, what is reserved, what has not yet been revealed. Works with this value tend to produce a sense of intrigue and reflection on what they see.

Themes of interest

Types of securities.

Human values.

Antivalues.

Universal values.

Sociocultural values.

Moral values.

Spiritual values.

Material values.

Intellectual values.

Instrumental values.

Political values.

Cultural values.

Hierarchy of values.

Priority values.

Personal values.

Transcendental values.

Objective values.

Vital values.

Personal values.

Ethical values.

Priority values.

Religious values.

Civic values.

Social values.

References

1. Bush, W. "Esthetic Values ​​and their Interpretation" in Jstor. Retrieved on December 6, 2019 from Jstor: jstor.org
2. "The aesthetic values" in The values. Retrieved on December 6, 2019 from Los Valores: losvalores.org
3. Meynell, H. "The nature of aesthetic value" in Excelsior Editions. Retrieved on December 6, 2019 from Excelsior Editions: sunypress.edu
4. "Examples and types of all the aesthetic values ​​that exist" in Self-help resources. Retrieved on December 6, 2019 from Self-help Resources: Recursosdeautoayuda.com
5. "Aesthetic value" in Investor words. Retrieved on December 6, 2019 from Investor words: investorwords.com
6. “About our research projects. Beyond beauty: nature and critical relevance of aesthetic properties ”at University of Murcia. Retrieved on December 6, 2019 from University of Murcia: um.es