Q&A: Art and Aesthetics
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Art and Aesthetics
Question
Hello Rabbi,
A. What is the correct definition of the concept of art? If there even is one…
B. In the Rabbi's personal opinion, can one establish rules that determine what counts as fine art and what does not? Are the feelings of beauty and aesthetics intuitions that cannot be restricted by rules, and perhaps are even purely subjective?
Answer
I don’t think this can be defined in a sharp or unequivocal way. There are characteristics, and they depend on the genre and the field. See a detailed discussion of the definition of poetry and literature in the series of my columns on this topic (107 and onward).