ideacritik

after attending an inspirational conference of webdesign today [http://www.decadeofwebdesign.org/] and buying a book on aesthetics, i feel i am compelled to address my previous dismissal of the concept of 'aesthetics'.

"it is notable, for example, that the so-called 'conceptual' art of the late 1960's and early 70s opposed itself indefatigably to the aesthetic, as such, rather than conceiving of itself as rethinking or reworking it in some way. while the antipathy of the cultural studies and art theory of the 1970s and 80s to anything conncected to aesthetics is well known. aesthetics appeared there as an anti-intellectual form of cultural elitism, the claims to universality of which are based on little more than a mystical veil of intuition, shrouding a defence of inherited authority."

from an aesthetic point of view, peter osborne, 2000.