Abstract

This thesis is an attempt to develop a theory of the aesthetic which can then be used as a foundation for the development of a theory of art. In the process, an attempt is made to trace the development of the concept of the creative imagination as an integral part of the search for the aesthetic, and various current theories of art are criticized, particularly institutional theories which claim to divorce the concept of the aesthetic from the concept of art. Finally, a concept of art is outlined which is based upon the concept of the aesthetic developed earlier in the thesis