Aestheticism paved the way for worldwide, 20th-century contemporary art by abandoning art’s typically instructional duties and emphasizing self-expression.
Aesthetic painters shouted their slogan, “art for art’s sake,” borrowed from Theophile Gautier’s book, Mademoiselle de Maupin (1836), and drew on a variety of influences.
Art, according to the Aesthetic Movement, should not be limited to sculpture, painting, or architecture, but should be commonplace in every sphere of life.