Formal organization and its aesthetic and intellectual significance in the philosophy of Clive Bell

Abstract

This study aims to explore the dimensions of formal organisation and its aesthetic and intellectual significance for the English philosopher Clive Bell. It also seeks to identify the main artists who have been influenced by formal theory and its applications in artistic work. The study attempts to uncover the most important artists who were influenced by formalism and its applications in artwork. It examines a group of modernist artists who were directly influenced by formalism. The study follows a descriptive and analytical approach by consulting and analysing the main scholarly sources on the subject. The study confirms that Clive Bell’s formalist theory emphasizes the aesthetic and formal aspects of artworks rather than their thematic content. The findings indicate that the concept of aesthetic significance refers to the intrinsic beauty of the artwork, which is clearly evident in the works of Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian, and Kazimir Malevich. The aesthetics is achieved through composition, form, and the relationships between visual elements in the artwork. Such significance evokes a profound aesthetic response in the viewer. According to Clive Bell, the aesthetic emotion triggered by significant form is not necessarily derived from interpretations rooted in nature. Rather, this response arises from the form itself, which materializes in existence through the medium of art. Thus, art in its entirety represents a development of formal relationships, within which the artistic stance is situated.