ABSTRACT
In the years following World War II, Ludwig Wittgenstein acquired the status of a grey eminence in the field of aesthetics. A number of the most reputed philosophers of art from this period were significantly influenced by him. For some curious reason, however, it seems that this has not been an attractive project. So far, no comprehensive study serving this purpose has seen the light of day. In 1968 Francis J. Coleman published an article whose title proclaimed it to be a critical investigation of Wittgenstein's aesthetic theory. From a traditional point of view, this could be understood as a clear argument in favour of the view that aesthetics should concern itself not only with artistic beauty, but also, and in equal degree, with natural beauty. The critique goes deeper and is considerably richer in implications. It is a matter of the misunderstandings which arise from attending exclusively to the form of aesthetic utterances.
