ABSTRACT
Both the didactic and the hedonistic theories explain art by relating it, though in different ways, to its audience. The romantic theory places its emphasis on the artist. According to this theory, communication is a secondary or even an incidental end in art. The chapter considers how the doctrine of art for art’s sake was developed by later theorists. Oscar Wilde was concerned primarily with literature but the doctrine had its greatest influence on the visual arts. Clive Bell explains what he means by significant form in Art, his main work in aesthetic theory. He begins by saying that aesthetic theory requires a combination of sensibility and rigorous thought. For Bell, then, the quality essential to all real art is significant form. He proceeds to justify this view by arguing, for example, that a painting such as Paddington Station has been rendered pointless by the development of photography.
