--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: According to this view, all that matters…" description: "\"“According to this view, all that matters to art appreciation is beauty of form. The logical extreme of aestheticism turns out to be homicidal art. (Ta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/john-mcateer-90404_aesthetics_according-to-this-view-all-that-matters_1558663.jpg" --- # According to this view, all that matters to art… ![“According to this view, all that matters to art appreciation is beauty of form. The logical extreme of aestheticism turns out to be homicidal art. (Taken from the book Hannibal Lecter & Philosophy: The Heart of the Matter)” quote by John McAteer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/john-mcateer-90404_aesthetics_according-to-this-view-all-that-matters_1558663.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/john-mcateer-90404_aesthetics_according-to-this-view-all-that-matters_1558663.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/john-mcateer-90404_aesthetics_according-to-this-view-all-that-matters_1558663.jpg) > ““According to this view, all that matters to art appreciation is beauty of form. The logical extreme of aestheticism turns out to be homicidal art. (Taken from the book Hannibal Lecter & Philosophy: The Heart of the Matter)”” John McAteer ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that pure aesthetic focus on beauty can lead to extreme, even violent, artistic expressions. **In simple terms:** Obsessing over beauty can become dangerous. Key Takeaway Balance aesthetics with ethics. Themes art aesthetics beauty philosophy extremism Mood analytical critical Type Aesthetics:1 Art:1 Art appreciation:1 Artist:0 Beauty:1 Gratitude:0 Hannibal-lecter:0 Philosophy:1 Hannibal Lecter:0 Homicidal Art:0 Extreme Aestheticism:1 Aestheticism Turns:0 Lecter Philosophy:0 When to use this quote - art criticism - museum curation - creative workshops - philosophical debate Key Concepts ethical critique art theory cultural analysis Questions to Reflect On - When does aestheticism cross ethical lines? - What responsibilities do artists have? A Different Perspective Extremism is rare in mainstream art. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aesthetics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aesthetics/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art appreciation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-appreciation/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Hannibal Lecter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hannibal-lecter/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) ## Related quotes > [“There could be no objection to homicidal art as art. One could certainly object that an artwork made out of dead bodies is immoral,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcateer/there-could-be-no-objection-to-homicidal-art-as-art-one-could/) John McAteer > [“We live in a primitive time—don’t we, Will?—neither savage nor wise. Half measures are the curse of it. Any rational society would either kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/we-live-in-a-primitive-time-don-t-we-will-neither-savage-nor-wise/) [Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/) > [“I know what you're afraid of. It's not pain, or solitude. It's indignity you can't stand, Hannibal, you're like a cat that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/i-know-what-you-re-afraid-of-it-s-not-pain-or-solitude-it-s-indignity/) [Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/) > [“Graham had a lot of trouble with taste. Often his thoughts were not tasty. There were no effective partitions in his mind. What he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/graham-had-a-lot-of-trouble-with-taste-often-his-thoughts-were-not/) [Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/) > [“This thing, what is it in itself, in its own constitution? What is its substance and material?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/this-thing-what-is-it-in-itself-in-its-own-constitution-what-is-its/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [“If I saw you everyday forever, I would remember this time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/if-i-saw-you-everyday-forever-i-would-remember-this-time/) [Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/) > [Appreciation of works of art requires organized effort and systematic study. Art appreciation can no more be absorbed by aimless wandering in galleries than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-c-barnes/appreciation-of-works-of-art-requires-organized-effort-and-systematic/) [Albert C. Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-c-barnes/) > [Art appreciation, like love, cannot be done by proxy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/art-appreciation-like-love-cannot-be-done-by-proxy/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [“No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/no-poet-no-artist-of-any-art-has-his-complete-meaning-alone-his-2/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“Imagine members of an art appreciation society pleading in court that they ‘believe’ they need a hallucinogenic drug in order to enhance their understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/imagine-members-of-an-art-appreciation-society-pleading-in-court-that/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“It’s amazing what can be done by people who learn to relax, pay attention, and focus, appreciating the present hour and all the opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-chandler/it-s-amazing-what-can-be-done-by-people-who-learn-to-relax-pay/) [Steve Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-chandler/) > [I learned more from my mother than from all the art historians and curators who have informed me about technical aspects of art history…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rockefeller/i-learned-more-from-my-mother-than-from-all-the-art-historians-and/) [David Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rockefeller/) > [Existence is movement. Action is movement. Existence is defined by the rhythm of forces in natural balance. (...) It is our appreciation for dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-von-laban/existence-is-movement-action-is-movement-existence-is-defined-by-the/) Rudolf von Laban > [The art of appreciation begins with self appreciation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-art-of-appreciation-begins-with-self-appreciation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“To maximize what you get out of your college experience, I want your friends to look at your semester schedule and say “this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-maximize-what-you-get-out-of-your-college-experience-i-want-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by John McAteer > [“There could be no objection to homicidal art as art. One could certainly object that an artwork made out of dead bodies is immoral,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcateer/there-could-be-no-objection-to-homicidal-art-as-art-one-could/) John McAteer Explore all 2 John McAteer quotes ## More Aesthetics quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Pleasure is by no means an infallible critical guide, but it is the least fallible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/pleasure-is-by-no-means-an-infallible-critical-guide-but-it-is-the/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [ Probably the high-watermark of \[Bob\] Dylan's career came after he plugged in his guitar ("Judas!" one fan shouted during a concert) and exploded American… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/probably-the-high-watermark-of-bob-dylan-s-career-came-after-he/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [Road cycling, especially up mountains. It's the heady mixture of endorphins and aesthetics that I love. My wife does it too, and being with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-kemp/road-cycling-especially-up-mountains-it-s-the-heady-mixture-of/) [Gary Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-kemp/) > [“No man sings as beautifully as when his song is accompanied by a woman’s voice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/no-man-sings-as-beautifully-as-when-his-song-is-accompanied-by-a/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [ \[Alexei Nemov\] has the best feel for the aesthetics of the sport. He doesn't just do a skill; he makes it look gorgeous. Some… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-vidmar/alexei-nemov-has-the-best-feel-for-the-aesthetics-of-the-sport-he/) [Peter Vidmar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-vidmar/) > [The great work of art is the complete banality, and the fault with most banalities is that they are not banal enough. Banality here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asger-jorn/the-great-work-of-art-is-the-complete-banality-and-the-fault-with/) [Asger Jorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asger-jorn/) > [I find the aesthetics of the 20th century hopelessly barren.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/i-find-the-aesthetics-of-the-20th-century-hopelessly-barren/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) > [For it is a mad world and it will get madder if we allow the minorities, be they dwarf or giant, orangutan or dolphin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/for-it-is-a-mad-world-and-it-will-get-madder-if-we-allow-the/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [We’re surrounded by anonymous, poorly made objects. It’s tempting to think it’s because the people who use them don’t care-just like the people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/we-re-surrounded-by-anonymous-poorly-made-objects-it-s-tempting-to/) [Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/) > [After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved science and art tend to coalesce in aesthetics, plasticity, and form. The greatest scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/after-a-certain-high-level-of-technical-skill-is-achieved-science-and/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [There's only so much you can do until you get on set and see the aesthetics of what you're dealing with. Then you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-urban/there-s-only-so-much-you-can-do-until-you-get-on-set-and-see-the/) [Karl Urban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-urban/) > [In our view the Olympic idea involves a strong physical culture supplemented on the one hand by mobility, what is so aptly called 'fair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-de-coubertin/in-our-view-the-olympic-idea-involves-a-strong-physical-culture/) [Pierre de Coubertin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-de-coubertin/) [Browse all 302 Aesthetics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aesthetics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“According to this view, all that matters to art appreciation is beauty of form. The logical extreme of aestheticism turns out to be homicidal art. 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