Dufrenne's theory of aesthetic experience

Abstract

SUMMARY This article is a study of aesthetic experience based on Dufrenne's theory. It is essentially a study of communication between the artist and the recipient by means of a work of art. The aesthetic object is distinguished from the work of art. It is shown how the work of art only becomes an aesthetic object when it is perceived by a recipient. The ontological characteristics of the aesthetic object serve as a point of departure for discussing the aesthetic object. The aesthetic object being a quasi-subject belongs to the world; it is "for-itself" in that it belongs to a world of its own; it is "in-itself" through the sensuous; and it is also "for-us", in that it needs the spectator's interpretation. Aesthetic perception is the result of the recipient's presence, representation and reflection. It is the involvement of the individual with the work of art. Perception culminates in feeling. It is through feeling that the human subject becomes present in the aesthetic object.