An Online Review of the Arts
Aristos was published by The Aristos Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization.
Copyright © 1982-2023
Note: Copyright for the entire content of this website was formerly held by The Aristos Foundation. Authors of by-lined articles retained the right to reprint or republish their work as they see fit, however, with attribution to original publication in Aristos. Going forward, anyone else wishing to reprint a by-lined article should contact the relevant author(s). [Write to Louis Torres at torres@aristos.org and Michelle Kamhi through the contact form on her website.] The remainder of this website is in the public domain, but the courtesy of attribution would be appreciated.
ABOUT ARISTOS
Aristos is an online review of the arts and the philosophy of art. Like its print predecessor, it is a unique critical voice, advocating objective standards in arts scholarship and criticism, and arguing that the concept of art (in the sense of the traditional fine arts of painting, sculpture, literature, music, and dance) can, and ought to, be objectively defined.
Critical of both modernism and postmodernism, Aristos vigorously opposes the increasingly bizarre and inscrutable work promoted in the name of art since the early years of the twentieth century--from abstract painting and sculpture through the seemingly endless concoctions of postmodernism. Aristos also champions contemporary work that, like the significant art of all ages, is concerned with important human values, and is both intelligible and well crafted.
Though staunchly independent, the editorial viewpoint of Aristos owes much to ideas on the essential nature of art offered by the philosopher-novelist Ayn Rand (1905-1982). It is aimed at a broad audience of general readers, students, critics, and scholars. The fullest explication and application of the philosophy that informs our views is found in What Art Is: The Esthetic Theory of Ayn Rand (Open Court, 2000).
Letters to the Editors:
We invite readers to comment on matters related to items published in these pages, current or archived. All letters will be read with care but we cannot guarantee publication or promise a response. While we reserve the right to edit letters for length and clarity, we will always send a copy of the revised version for approval prior to publication. When you write, please include the city and state in which you live, as well as any relevant professional titles, student identification (college, major, and year), or other biographical information that may be of interest.