Aesthetic thought of a distinctively modern bent emerged during the 18th century. The western philosophers and critics of this time devoted much attention to such matters【C1】______ natural beauty, the sublime, and representation——a trend reflecting the central position they had given to the philosophy of nature.【C2】______ that time, however, the philosophy of art has be come ever more【C3】______ and has begun to【C4】______ the philosophy of nature. Various issues【C5】______ to the philosophy of art have had a 【C6】______ impact【C7】______ the orientation of 20th - century aesthetics.【C8】______ among these are problems relating to the theory of art as form. and 【C9】______ the distinction between representation and expression. Still another far - reaching question has to do with the value of art. Two opposing theoretical positions【C10】______ on this issue: one holds that art and its appreciation are a means to some recognized moral good, 【C11】______ the other maintains that art is intrinsically valuable and is an end in itself. Underlying this whole issue is the concept of taste, one of the basic concerns of aesthetics. In recent years there has also been an increasing【C12】______ with art as the prime object of critical judgment. Corresponding to the trend in contemporary aesthetic thought,【C13】______ have followed【C14】______ of two approaches. In one, criticism is restricted to the analysis and interpretation of the work of art. 【C15】______ , it is devoted to articulating the response to the aesthetic object and to【C16】______ a particular way of perceiving it.
Over the years, aesthetics has developed into a broad field of knowledge and inquiry. The concerns of contemporary aesthetics include such【C17】______ problems as the nature of style. and its aesthetic significance; the relation of aesthetic judgment to culture; the【C18】______ of a history of art; the 【C19】______ of Freudian psychology and other forms of psychological study to criticism; and the place of aesthetic judgment in practical【C20】______ in the conduct of everyday affairs.
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