aesthetic movement

noun

Phrases

the aesthetic movement or the Aesthetic movement or less commonly the Aesthetic Movement

: a late nineteenth-century artistic movement originating in England that promoted the appreciation and production of art for art's sake : a movement advocating aestheticism

The aesthetic movement, with Wilde as its leader, had swept over England. Dreamy youths in knee breeches languished, their soulful eyes on books of poetry. Crying for sensitivity, their motto was "art for art's sake."

—Elizabeth Parker, Historic Traveler, March 1997

A catalog of photos of her work and essays on her life and her impact on the aesthetic movement is available for purchase at the museum gift shop.

—Jenna Esarey, Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky), 2 Nov. 2009

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

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