Art, Nature, Beauty and Genius: A Post Hoc Rereading of Kant

In the history of art and aesthetics, beauty in nature and beauty in art can be seen meeting in the works of Immanuel Kant. Thinkers such as Kirwan and Allison believed that Kant endorsed a predominantly nature-centered aesthetics. I dissect Kant’s The Critique of the Power of Judgment with the help of convictions by various thinkers in maintaining that Kant does not prioritize beauty in nature over art. For this, I revisit Kant’s views on beauty in art and nature, and finally his views on the genius which marks the significant difference between art and nature. If we analyze and reread his views in an intellectually subtle manner, we can see that in Kant, philosophy of art and aesthetics acquire a fine balance.