Abstract

Max Dessoir, German aesthetician, played an important role in the idea and the movement of allgemeine Kunstwissenschaft which occurred in Germany at the beginning of the twentieth century. His merits consists of publishing the first journal concerning aesthetics and studies of arts, establishing the organization of studies, and holding the congress. Particularly the congress in Berlin in 1913 which was recognized as the 1st International Congress of Aesthetics in 1937 is the climax in the activities of allgemeine Kunstwissenschaft and reflected Dessoir's idea clearly. Dessoir's idea about allgemeine Kunstwissenschaft is to make aesthetics and studies of art autonomous studies separated from philosophy and historical studies by uniting the various studies concerning arts. Dessoir's idea spread to other countries and contributed to the organization of aesthetics and studies of arts there. Allgemeine Kunstwissenschaft was weakend by two world wars and at present is seldom reviewed. But Dessoir's idea about allgemeine Kunstwissenschaft is the origin of aesthetics and studies of arts of today