Project Gutenberg 2005-10-21 Public domain in the USA. 757 Bell, Clive 1881 1964 Art E-text prepared by Suzanne Shell, Janet Blenkinship, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team "Art" by Clive Bell is a theoretical exploration of visual art written in the early 20th century. The book aims to develop a comprehensive theory of aesthetics, particularly emphasizing the concept of "significant form" as the core quality that distinguishes works of art from other objects. With a focus on how art elicits aesthetic emotions, Bell's work engages with both historical and contemporary artistic movements, offering insights into the nature of art and its intrinsic value. The opening of "Art" establishes Clive Bell's intention to articulate a clear and actionable theory of aesthetics, positing that a universal understanding of art can be achieved through recognizing a shared quality he terms "significant form." He describes the pervasive belief in the distinctiveness of art, advocating for a more rational approach to aesthetic judgments. Bell differentiates between mere decorative or descriptive works and those that provoke genuine aesthetic emotion, emphasizing the importance of form over representational accuracy. This foundational premise sets the stage for further discussion about aesthetics, art's relation to life, and the transformative power of artistic experience. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 57.3 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Aesthetics Art Art -- History N Text Category: Art Category: Philosophy & Ethics 395074 2025-08-07T09:16:59.628675 text/html 398349 2020-12-12T18:52:59 text/html 1217180 2025-08-07T09:17:06.328665 application/epub+zip 1216896 2025-08-07T09:17:01.535669 application/epub+zip 200158 2025-08-07T09:17:00.341675 application/epub+zip 1350169 2025-08-07T09:17:10.224604 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1320368 2025-08-07T09:17:05.424644 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 290924 2022-09-08T08:16:28.252484 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 365773 2025-08-07T09:16:59.085703 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 365410 2020-12-12T18:52:59 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 365420 2020-12-12T18:52:59 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 20436 2025-08-07T09:17:10.354594 application/rdf+xml 7971 2025-08-07T09:17:00.833671 image/jpeg 2438 2025-08-07T09:17:00.588653 image/jpeg 135642 2020-12-12T18:52:59 application/octet-stream application/zip 1132791 2020-12-12T18:52:59 application/octet-stream application/zip 135584 2020-12-12T18:52:59 application/octet-stream application/zip 1178483 2025-08-07T09:16:59.693696 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia