Active learning ideas
Aesthetics explores the nature of beauty and the formation of aesthetic judgments. Students debate whether beauty is an objective property of an object or a subjective experience in the 'eye of the beholder.' This topic is a key part of the Ontario HZB3M curriculum, encouraging students to think critically about their own tastes and the standards of beauty in society.
Activity 01
Display a wide variety of images (e.g., a sunset, a modern building, a 'disturbing' painting, a mathematical equation). Students rotate and rate each on a 'beauty scale,' then discuss in groups why their ratings differ.
What makes something beautiful?
Activity 02
Students choose one thing they find beautiful that others might not. They work with a partner to try and find 'objective' reasons for its beauty (e.g., symmetry, color, complexity) vs. 'subjective' reasons (e.g., personal memory).
Is beauty in the eye of the beholder?
Activity 03
Groups use calipers or rulers to find the 'Golden Ratio' in nature, art, and each other's faces. They then debate whether this mathematical 'standard' proves that beauty is objective.
How do aesthetic experiences differ from other types of experiences?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Beauty is 100% subjective and there's nothing more to say about it.
While taste is subjective, philosophers look for 'standards of taste' or common patterns in what humans find beautiful. Active learning that looks for 'patterns of beauty' can help students see the more objective side of aesthetics.
Aesthetics is only about 'pretty' things.
Aesthetics also covers the sublime, the grotesque, and the 'interesting.' Peer discussions about 'ugly' art that is still 'good' can help broaden students' understanding of aesthetic value.
Methods used in this brief
Defining Art
This topic investigates the criteria used to define art and the role of the artist's intention. Students analyze controversial works to test the boundaries of what constitutes art.
8 methodologies
Art, Morality, and Society
Students examine the relationship between art, ethics, and society, including issues of censorship and the social responsibility of artists. They debate whether art should be judged on moral grounds.
8 methodologies