What Is Absolutism in Art History?

Art|Art History

Absolutism in art history refers to the idea that art should be judged objectively and without bias. This concept was popularized during the 18th century and is still a major part of art criticism and evaluation today.

The idea of absolutism is that a work of art should be judged by its own merits, not by the reputation or opinion of the artist who created it. This means that the quality of a work should not depend on who created it, but rather on how well it stands up to objective scrutiny.

Absolute criteria for judging art are difficult to establish and often controversial. Different schools of thought have different standards for what makes a work of art good or bad.

Some argue that aesthetics are subjective, while others believe in certain universal criteria for determining artistic merit. In either case, there is no single set of criteria for what constitutes “good” or “bad” art.

In practice, absolutism often involves comparing a given artwork to an ideal standard. This can take several forms, including comparing an artwork to other works from the same period or genre, or even comparing it to other works from different periods and genres. Another common approach is to compare an artwork with pre-established criteria like composition and design principles.

Absolutism has been criticized as elitist in some circles, as it tends to favor those with more formal training in the arts over those without such training. Additionally, critics have argued that absolutism can lead to stagnation within the arts as artists may be less likely to experiment if they fear their work will not meet certain standards.

Conclusion:

What Is Absolutism in Art History? Absolutism is an idea which holds that art should be judged objectively and without bias based solely on its own merits – not on who created it or any pre-existing criteria like composition or design principles. It has been criticized as elitist and potentially stifling creativity but nonetheless remains an important factor when considering artistic value today.