The New Aesthetic is a concept that has only recently been acknowledged in a real way. It’s a complicated idea that requires an understanding of art, culture and sociology to truly appreciate the impact of the New Aesthetic — as does aesthetics in general. I’m going to try and keep this short.
Aesthetics, aside from being a fun word to say at dinner parties after a couple glasses of wine, is a philosophical concept fundamentally concerned with defining our understanding of beauty. It typically asks questions like, “What is beauty? Why is something perceived as beautiful? And why does this appreciation of beauty change throughout history and across cultures?” It even dates back to guys in robes like Plato and Socrates.
Speaking of guys in robes, the ancient aesthetics, especially that of the Greeks, had an affinity for the human form and the depiction of poise, musculature and anatomically correct proportions (read: naked statues). Islamic aesthetics found inspiration in architecture, calligraphy and more abstract artistic representations. Later Christian aesthetics reflected increasingly religious overtones and eventually favored “enlightenment” during the Renaissance. In short, aesthetics changes with the times.
In the U.S., we can see how ideas about aesthetics changed with the decades. The aesthetic during the World Wars was one of strong men and women (think of the propaganda posters). The aesthetic during the Space Race was one of rounded edges and polished steel, reminiscent of rockets (think of the propaganda posters). The ‘60s aesthetic was characterized by swirling bright colors and exaggerated images (think of the propaganda posters). In short, an era’s aesthetic was a reflection of our culture and vice versa (and was, not surprisingly, reflected in propaganda posters).
Finally, we reach the New Aesthetic, which is one that has fundamentally changed our way of seeing the world. Instead of viewing the world through our own eyes, we’ve now taken to viewing the world through the unblinking eyes of the omnipresent computer. Closed Circuit TV cameras, little lenses on our phones and even that great eye-in-the-sky, the satellite, are all used to view our brave new world. Additionally, the New Aesthetic incorporates mobile games, the new Twitter language, clever WiFi network names to communicate with annoying neighbors and any number of other digital influences in our lives.
Here are a few examples:
For the first time, our aesthetic has shifted from a human-centered view of our reality (and, subsequently, our view of beauty) to a reality viewed through silicon.
The New Aesthetic — now being recognized in its recent coverage by Wired magazine and a SXSWi session in March of this year — will affect how people in the second decade of the 21st century react to art, design and beauty.
I’ve done my best to explain the New Aesthetic but, much like the Matrix, you have to see it for yourself. Check out The New Aesthetic on Tumblr (UPDATE: This Tumblr has been closed and the owners are moving the site to www.new-aesthetic.com which is currently not yet live), or you can check out these links:
Other examples of the New Aesthetic: