Studi di estetica

Aesthetics and medieval thought: contours and pieces of a vast mosaic

2026-01-07T10:47:12+00:00

“Aesthetics” and “Middle Ages” denote indefinite fields of research. There is no univocal definition of “aesthetics” and, at the same time, the concept of “Middle Ages” results from a historiographical construct that encompasses authors from different backgrounds, cultures, and historical contexts. Still there are valid reasons to maintain that medieval thought is deeply grounded in an aesthetic view of reality. Despite their diverse cultural backgrounds and geographical origins, authors throughout the extended medieval period have two common elements: they acknowledge the key role of ancient philosophy and inhabit societies where monotheistic faith holds central importance. The study of “beauty” as a core concern of aesthetic studies typifies how these two factors converged and shaped medieval thinking. Although a brief introduction cannot comprehensively justify this assertion, the following pages sketch the contours that delimit the essays collected in the monographic section of the volume.

Bellezza, retorica e linguaggio: attorno al principio dell’aptum nell’alto Medioevo

2026-01-06T17:02:11+00:00

In the system of rules of the ancient ars rhetorica, the principle of decor or aptum is fundamental, yet often misunderstood; according to this principle, beauty is, above all, that which is “appropriate” to the context, the register of writing and the arguments to be supported. This essay aims to demonstrate how this concept, which medieval aesthetics acquired from Augustine of Hippo, is as indispensable for understanding the aesthetics of the medieval wriBen page as that of pulchrum; indeed, the two elements seem to refer to two different but complementary concepts of beauty, one quantitative and the other qualitative. The thesis is supported with examples from Augustine himself, Raterius of Verona and Pier Damiani.

Hugh of St. Victor’s De tribus diebus on beauty, image, and the divine

2026-01-06T17:05:12+00:00

The paper examines Hugh of St. Victor’s De tribus diebus as one of the earliest medieval attempts at a theology of beauty. In this treatise, Hugh reframes the image not as a deceptive imitation but as a medium of divine revelation. Created beauty is portrayed as a trace of the Creator, guiding the soul toward contemplation and union with God. Against (radically) dualistic tendencies that entirely dismissed the physical world and its beauty, Hugh affirms its philosophico-theological significance, situating it within a Christocentric framework in which the visible world participates in divine Wisdom. By comparing Hugh’s vision with Jean-Jacques Wunenburger’s philosophy of images, the study highlights a continuity across time: both affirm the key value of images; not merely as objects to behold, but as channels through which humans perceive, engage with, and are drawn toward the transcendent source of reality and meaning.

Visible humility in the middle of the thirteenth century: William Peraldus’s signa humilitatis

2026-01-06T17:07:05+00:00

In the middle of the thirteenth century in Lyon, the Dominican William Peraldus (ca. 1200-ca. 1271) compiled a list of signs of humility (signa humilitatis) as part of his treatment of the virtue in his highly successful “Summa de virtutibus”, which was preceded by a “Summa de vitiis”. In this paper, I examine the epistemic value of Peraldus’s list of signs of humility and the logic that underlies it. I situate Peraldus’s “aesthetics of humility”, which I analyze as a gender-sensitive “aesthetics of concealment”, within the broader context of instructing proper behavior and shaping character, a task Peraldus explicitly undertook, and I connect it to the wider theologico-soteriological framework he shared with his readership. Finally, I argue that the treatment of the signs of humility, alongside the indicators of pride in the “Summa de vitiis”, responds to widespread concerns about the aesthetics of morally ambiguous traits such as humility and pride.

Minor ways to affective harmony

2026-01-06T17:08:38+00:00

The article examines how 13th-14th-century Franciscan reflection contributed to conceptions of harmony, particularly in its affective dimensions. The discussion begins with Roger Bacon’s synthesis, which grounds the moral philosopher’s preaching in the concept of musical harmony within the broader framework of his knowledge reform. Attention then turns to Bartholomaeus Anglico’s encyclopaedic treatise and to Matthaeus de Aquasparta’s sermons, which almost enact the rhetorical and musical criteria of harmony. The article concludes with two 14thcentury case studies, those of Angelo Clareno and Franciscus de Marchia, which focus on the topic of altissima paupertas.

Beauty and transcendentals in St. Thomas Aquinas

2026-01-12T16:59:26+00:00

Thomas Aquinas did not give us a treatise on beauty. Thus, his thoughts on aesthetics are not always clear. In this paper, I engage in the well-known contemporary dispute, as to whether Aquinas takes beauty to be a transcendental. I distinguish between primary and secondary transcendentals and argue that it is not a primary transcendental. In doing so, I propose a necessary condition for something to be a primary transcendental, and I investigate Aquinas’ division of the primary transcendentals.

Uncanny aesthetics in medieval thought: the case of the Dies irae

2026-01-06T17:12:44+00:00

The role of the “uncanny” in medieval Christian aesthetics is explored through a focus on Dies Irae sequence. While typically linked to modernity, the “uncanny” functioned as a persistent affective force in medieval liturgy and art, characterized by ambiguity, continuous tension, and resistance to resolution rather than transient emotions like fear. Gregorian chant is examined as a performative, embodied medium acting as a technology for emotional regulation and control. In this context, music serves not only as a representation of the divine, but as a tool for shaping the subject’s emotional and physiological experience. Aesthetic practices thus become instruments of subjectivation, engaging the faithful in a transformative, embodied encounter with the sacred. The Church, as both the origin of this unsettling experience and the sole mediator of divine reconciliation, reinforces its authority, positioning itself as the guarantor of spiritual resolution amidst eschatological uncertainty.

Human imagination and generative AI. A phenomenological perspective on design in MR environments

2026-01-06T17:15:21+00:00

The paper examines a phenomenological approach to generative AI in MR environments, focusing on its role in supporting human imagination. Drawing on Husserl’s theories, it explores how AI supports phantasy through eidetic variation, producing digital objects that, while distinct from analogue ones, are fully real within an analogue-digital continuum. The study highlights a bi-directional and recursive exchange where AI externalizes imagination, merging human intentionality with machine-generated alternatives.

Éthique et esthétique chez Paul Valéry, à l’aune de Theodor W. Adorno

2026-01-06T17:19:40+00:00

Abstract This article explores the interplay between ethics and aesthetics in Paul Valéry’s thought through Theodor W. Adorno’s critical lens. It shows how concepts such as system, mimesis, and non-identity reveal a shared demand for transformation and negativity. Adorno’s reading highlights the ethical value of aesthetic form, and how Valéry’s “écart” resonates with the non-identical as resistance to systemic closure.

Manifestation and concealment between Western and Islamic aesthetics. Reassessing the orientalistic prejudice about the “Land of mysteries”

2026-01-06T17:21:31+00:00

The paper engages with the aesthetic dimension of Edward Said’s critique of Orientalism (1), focusing in particular on the trope of the Islamic world as a “land of mysteries” (2). From a Gadamerian perspective, it argues that this trope may in fact reflect a genuine aesthetic difference rather than merely colonial bias: while Western art emphasizes mimesis and the revelation of truth through visual representation, Islamic art – guided by theological concerns – seeks to make room for what lies beyond the visible (3). Although shaped by power imbalances, the Orientalist fascination with Islamic “mystery” – it is argued – inadvertently acknowledges a genuine aesthetic alterity and potentially prompts intercultural aesthetic dialogue (4).

Aesthetics of intoxication

2026-01-06T17:25:31+00:00

The goal of the article is to present an overview of the aesthetics of intoxication. Various kinds of intoxicants have been widely used throughout known history, and they are closely related to the core issues of aesthetics such as art, perception, and emotions. The use of intoxicants often has aesthetic grounds, and they affect aesthetic phenomena in several ways. However, the theme has been addressed only rarely in philosophical aesthetics. After commenting on some earlier accounts, I suggest that the many faceted topic can be systematized by analyzing the relation of intoxicants and intoxication to four aesthetic perspectives: the creation of aesthetic phenomena related to intoxication, the phenomena themselves, their reception, and their context. Lastly, I compare aesthetics of intoxication to aesthetics of art and environmental aesthetics to highlight some of its typical features.

Christoph Wulf (ed.), Handbook on intangible cultural practices as global strategies for the future Cham, Springer, 2025, pp. 570

2026-01-06T17:27:25+00:00

Emmanuel Alloa, Attraverso l’immagine. Una fenomenologia dei media visuali traduzione italiana a cura di A. De Cesaris, Milano, Meltemi, 2024, pp. 522

2026-01-06T17:28:43+00:00

The art of playing: art and play as practices of re-aestheticization

2026-01-06T17:30:33+00:00

On Arnold Berleant, The social aesthetics of human environments: critical themes, London, Bloomsbury, 2023, pp. 216

2026-01-06T17:33:15+00:00