Beauty and Aesthetics in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man By: Christopher Shell, Medhane Olushola, Jay Jurow

Do Now Activity and Mini Lesson Aim: Defining beauty and aesthetics in The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Do Now: Draw a picture of something you consider beautiful, and explain why. Do you consider this photo beautiful? Explain your answer.

Background of the Aesthetics movement The Aesthetic movement gained popularity in the late 19th century. A popular saying during the movement was “Art for Art’s Sake” It was a change from traditional values, excess in fashion, food, sexuality, materialistic hobbies, sins( lying, stealing), drugs & alcohol Aesthetics dealt with the creation and appreciation of beauty

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Aesthetics In the second Chapter Stephen describes the brothel in detail and his sexual encounter with the prostitute. Pg. 106-108. “She passed her tinkling hand through his hair, calling him a little rascal.-Give me a kiss she said. His lips would not bend to kiss her. He wanted to be held firmly in her arms, to be caressed slowly, slowly, slowly. Many cultures find beauty in carnal pleasures. Many subjects of European art incorporate appreciation for the naked body. Turns what is deemed as a sin into something that is beautiful.

Appreciation for Beauty

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Aesthetics Continued “Art, said Stephen, is the human disposition of sensible or intelligible matter for an esthetic end.” –Pg. 224 Stephen is saying how Art is and beauty is natural to humans. There is no one way to define beauty. It varies from individual to individual and it is always changing.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Aesthetics Continued On pages 235-242 Stephen wakes up in a pleasant mood after dreaming about an erotic encounter with his lover. At the spur of the moment verses begin to pass through his mind, he seizes the opportunity and writes them down. He contemplates sending the verses to her but is scared he will be made fun of. Is not restricted to traditional forms of beauty, he finds beauty and aesthetics at the spur of the moment. Recalls her telling him that he is not a monk but a heretic.

Think Tank If an artist has sex with a prostitute is it a work of art? If a commoner has sex with a prostitute is it a work of art? Is creating a image of an immoral thing good? Dorian Gray is a good example of the Aesthetic movement. Is the book a good example of the Aesthetic movement?