Aestheticism (also the
Aesthetic Movement) is an intellectual and
art movement supporting the emphasis of
aesthetic values more than social-political themes for
literature,
fine art,
music and other
arts. It was particularly prominent in Europe during the 19th century, but contemporary critics are also associated with the movement, such as
Harold Bloom, who has recently argued against projecting social and political ideology onto literary works, which he believes has been a growing problem in humanities departments over the last century.