Artistic beauty must be purposeful from "summary" of Critique of Judgement by Immanuel Kant
The concept of artistic beauty being purposeful is central to understanding the nature of aesthetic judgment. According to Kant, the purpose of art is not merely to imitate nature or to please the senses, but to serve a higher end. Artistic beauty, therefore, must have a purpose beyond mere sensory pleasure or technical skill. Kant argues that true artistic beauty is not arbitrary or accidental, but is the result of a deliberate and conscious act of creation. The artist, in creating a work of art, must have a clear intention or purpose in mind. This purpose gives the work of art its unity and coherence, allowing it to be judged as beautiful. For Kant, the purpose of art is not to convey factual information or to illustrate moral principles, but to evoke a certain emotional or intellectual response in the viewer. Artistic beauty, therefore, must be purposeful in the sense that it is intended to communicate something meaningful or significant to the viewer. According to Kant, the purpose of art is to stimulate the imagination and to awaken a sense of aesthetic pleasure in the viewer. This aesthetic pleasure is not simply a matter of personal taste or subjective preference, but is the result of a universal and objective judgment of beauty. In order for a work of art to be considered beautiful, it must be purposeful in the sense that it fulfills its intended purpose and evokes the desired response in the viewer. A work of art that lacks purpose or intentionality cannot be considered truly beautiful, according to Kant.- Kant's concept of artistic beauty as being purposeful emphasizes the importance of intentionality and meaning in the creation and appreciation of art. Artistic beauty, for Kant, is not a matter of mere decoration or technical skill, but is the result of a deliberate and conscious act of creation that is intended to communicate something meaningful to the viewer.
