How Aesthetic Perception Influences the Presentation and Expression of Art

Abstract

Aesthetic perception, the lens through which individuals and cultures interpret and assign value to art, is not a passive receptor but an active, formative force in the artistic process. This paper argues that aesthetic paradigms fundamentally shape the creation, presentation, and reception of art, operating across historical, socio-cultural, and institutional dimensions. Moving beyond the traditional focus on reception, this article examines how the artist's internalized aesthetic framework dictates formal choices, material selection, and conceptual direction. Furthermore, it explores how dominant aesthetic values, often mediated by institutions like museums and galleries, curate public perception and consecrate artistic legitimacy. The analysis begins by establishing the philosophical underpinnings of aesthetic judgment, from Kantian disinterest to Bourdieu's sociological critique. It then traces the evolution of Western aesthetic paradigms-from Renaissance idealism to Modernist abstraction and postmodern pluralism-to demonstrate their causal impact on artistic expression. Subsequently, the paper investigates the socio-cultural construction of taste and its power to include or exclude certain forms of expression. Finally, it addresses the challenges and opportunities presented by digital and globalized aesthetics in the contemporary era. Supported by conceptual diagrams and empirical data, this study concludes that aesthetic perception is a co-author in the artwork itself, a dynamic interface through which art is continually made and remade.