Walter Pater was a prominent Victorian art critic and philosopher. He is known for promoting an aesthetic philosophy called "Art for Art's Sake," which emphasized focusing on the enjoyment and appreciation of beauty in art rather than its moral or social usefulness. His most famous work was Studies in the History of the Renaissance (1873), a collection of essays examining art and poetry of the Renaissance that helped establish impressionistic criticism as an approach. Pater believed that experiences of beauty were brief and that one should aim to maximize intellectual and aesthetic experiences.

1. By
Muhammad Ashraf
M.A English 2nd
NUML Faisalabad

2. Walter Pater’s Life Span(4 Aug 1839- 30 July
1894)
Walter Pater’s complete name was Walter Horatio
Pater.
He was born at Shadwell in England in 1839
As a school boy, he was a coy and sober boy
He is acknowledged as a prominent art critic.
He was a fellow of Brasennose.

3. He was critic of late Victorian age and beginner of
Modern age.
He believed in principle of Art for Art’s Sake
rather than Art for Life’s Sake.
He was aesthetic critic (His Focus is on enjoyment
of beauty just like john Keats “ Beauty is truth
and truth beauty”

4. His famous work was
“Studies in the History of Renaissance” ( 1873) it
is a collection of essays on Renaissance.
It subsequently came out in the form
“ The Renaissance: Studies in Art and Poetry”
These are important essays by him in this
collection.

5. Collection:
1
Leonardo The Vinci ( 1869),
Sandro Betticee (1970),
Michangelo (1871).
These essays appeared in “Fortnightly Review”.

6. 2. Appreciations (1889)
3. Plato And Platonism (1893)
4. Besides his critical essays, he gave a new
direction to English Prose writing in his work “
Imaginary Portraits”.
5. In 1895 Shadwell published his scattered
essays in under the little “Miscellaneous
Essays”.

7. According to Walter Pater art is there for art’s sake: it
is not for the sake of any utility of society. Utility
of art is art itself because it is a thing of beauty
whether it is a painting, sculpture, literature or any
work of art.
An artist’s main task and duty is to test, commend
and recommend the work of art what is most
beautiful and appreciable. Human life is short and
time given by God must be devoted to accumulate
art and literature. Beauty is gifted by God and it is
identical to truth. Art elates human spirit.

8. He has emphasized on the concept of “ intellectual
excitement” and “ desire for beauty”.
Pater reconstructs the lives and works of French, Italian,
and German painters.
In his renaissance book he promotes impressionistic
theory of art. He says that it is the responsibility of an
aesthetic critic to realize and pour out the distinctive
features of a work of art. Impressionistic theory creates
a different impression, art has got a vision and that
vision is conveyed. Art is not the appreciation of the
object only but the realization of beauty. Because
appreciation can be biased butr realization of beauty is
truth.

9. Realization of beauty is an absolute phenomenon.
Beauty is related to human experiences.
Experience decides whether it is a thing of beauty or not.
For example, if any thing of beauty hurts you or gives you
pain, troubles then that is not a thing of beauty for you.
Beauty is not the thing which can be seen by eyes,
actually it is felt and experiences but impressions.
Beauty thing gives you its impression and we then
decide whether it is a thing of beauty or not. Everyone
has his personal experience and impression. A thing of
beauty can be pleasurable and joyful for one person
but not same for the other. It varies from person to
person.

10. In terms of poetry or any literary creation Walter Pater
says that every creation of literature, even by an
intellectual or witty person, cannot be a thing of
beauty.

11. “The Conclusion” of the studies in the history of
Renaissance is a significant document of Walter Pater
to expose the various dimensions of his critical
perceptions. Change is the eternal thing that is
permanent. Everything is subject to change. Nothing is
permanent in this world.

12. Experience
Excitement
Pleasure
Response
Creation

13. Experience
Excitement
PleasureResponse
Creation

14. Art means not giving any lesson of morality;
Art to give pleasure through beauty.
But actually, The Aesthetic Movement was not
very successful in that time because of world
war-1 and lack of practical use of that concept
in real life. At that time of crises people were
not living a peaceful life and no one paid
attention to Art for Art’s Sake and to beauty
cult.

15. This movement was carried on by Oscar Wilde.
He believed that art does not follow nature rather
nature follows art.
“ On Style” is his essay. In this essay he has told
his literary art, style of writing and diction.

16. He had no fixed rules or principles to judge
any work of art. He judged it as a work of
beauty. He had not any parameter to criticize
any literary work.