Literary Form and Movements

Assignment
To: Mam Sumera Saleem
By: Muhammad Awais Zahid
Class: MA 1 Regular
Roll No: ENGL62F20R026

 Table Of Content
1 Introduction and History
2 Art For Art’s Sake Movement
3 English Aesthetic Movement
4 Art and the Industrial Revolution
5 Latin Version and Commercialism
6 Post Modernism and Art for Art sake
7 Criticism
8 Conclusion

1 Introduction
"Art for art's sake" is basically the English translation of a French slogan,
"l'art pour l'art',"
This was raised in the early 19th century by the French philosopher Victor
Cousin. The phrase expresses the belief held by many writers and artists,
especially those associated with Aestheticism, that art needs no justification,
and it become a bohemian slogan during the nineteenth century
The original phrase "l'art pour l'art" ('art for art's sake') is credited to Théophile
Gautier (1811–1872), who was the first to adopt it as a slogan in the preface to
his 1835 book, Mademoiselle de Maupin
2 Art for art's sake Movement
The concept that art does not need any clarification or justification, that it
does not need to serve any purpose, and that the beauty of the art itself is
sensible enough for pursuing them was highly adopted by leading British and
French writers and artists such as Oscar Wilde, Walter Pater, and Samuel
Taylor Coleridge. This group of artist pioneered a rebellious movement
against Victorian moralism which is known as the Aesthetic Movement.
3 English Aesthetic Movement
The slogan ‘art for art’s sake’ is associated with this movement in history,
which advocated that art should be kept separated from any social, political
and economic influence. Famous Poet Edgar Allan Poe mentioned in his essay
a very similar argument, named as ‘this poem written only for the poem’s
sake’.
The writers and artists of the Aesthetic Movement advocated that there was
no connection between morality and art. The art should provide refined
sensuous pleasure, rather than convey a sentimental or moral message. The
art should only show what the artist wants to show from the beauty of art
4 Art and the Industrial Revolution
The slogan ‘art for art’s sake’ was a European social construct. It was largely a
product of the Industrial Revolution. In most of the cultures from the fifteenth
to the nineteenth century, the artistic image was a religious practice. In
medieval Europe, art was primarily used to decorate religious places and
churches. Later the rise of the middle class initiated a demand for the
ornamental art, portraits, illustrations, paintings, and landscapes for their
home and offices. However, the industrial revolution created a void in the
social structure where a large number of people had to leave in urban slums.
This change of equation raised the question for the traditional value of the art
and rejected romanticism.
During the same time, the academic painters felt a responsibility to improve
society by presenting art, paint or images that reflect conservative moral
values, such as Christian sentiments or virtuous behavior. However, the
modernists rebelled against this thought and demanded the freedom to
choose the style and subject of the art themselves. They felt that the religious
and political institutions were influencing the artist’s work area and restricting
individual artist’s liberty.
These progressive modernists challenged the conservative middle-class’s
demand for art and adopted an antagonist attitude to stand at the forefront of
the modern age of art and culture.
5 Latin Version and Commercialism
The slogan is used commercially as well. The Latin meaning of the slogan ‘Art
for art’s sake’ is “ARS GRATIA ARTIS’. This phrase is used by Metro-Goldwyn-
Mayer, majorly known as MGM’s logo. The phrase is used as motto which
appears in the logo of MGM behind the head of Leo the Lion.
6 Post Modernism and Art for Art sake
The First World War signified a failure of tradition, and also demonstrated that
scientific and technological progress would not automatically create a better
world. A new cultural movement, Dadaism, began in Zürich, Switzerland,
during World War I and reached its height from 1916 to 1920. Dadaists
declared that modernist art had also failed, and rejected all prevailing artistic
standards through anti-art cultural works. 
The concept of ‘art for art’s sake’ remained significant in a discussion about
the importance of art and censorship. Art increasingly became a part of public
life, in the form of film media, print media, and advertising.  Later the art
became a mechanical rather than manual art and lost the control of an
individual artist. However, as the modern era emerged, Art falls in the hands
of civic institutions and government bodies. The institutions which have no
ability to appreciate art themselves impose restrictions on artistic expression
and limited the individual’s liberty to create the art to show the beauty of the
art itself. In today’s world, the slogan becomes significant again where the art
should be for art’s sake only.
7 Criticism
Marxists have argued that art should be politicized for the sake of transmitting
the socialist message
George Sand, who was not a Marxist but a socialist writer, wrote in 1872
that L'art pour l'art was an empty phrase, an idle sentence. She asserted that
artists had a "duty to find an adequate expression to convey it to as many
souls as possible," ensuring that their works were accessible enough to be
appreciated
Diego Rivera, who was a member of the Mexican Communist Party and "a
supporter of the revolutionary cause," claims that the art for art's sake theory
would further divide the rich from the poor. Rivera goes on to say that since
one of the characteristics of so called "pure art" was that it could only be
appreciated by a few superior people, the art movement would strip art from
its value as a social tool and ultimately make art into a currency-like item that
would only be available to the rich.

8 Conclusion
Art for Art is a movement in visual contemporary art, represented by a group
of artists. They work in various styles and techniques, but hold to the same
ideology, supporting the idea of the value and significance of the piece of art
as an act of creation and self-expression.
This movement denies the social influence of the artist’s name on the
artwork’s true value, but relies on the principle of anonymity in art, hence the
name of the movement "Art for Art" that underlines the elimination of the
artist from the work