Beyond Storytelling: The Value of Pure Aesthetic in Photography
- Marco Squassina Photography
- Sep 9
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 20
In contemporary discussions about photography, one phrase repeatedly emerges: “What matters most is the storytelling.”Many critics, curators, and even photographers themselves emphasize the importance of narrative—believing that a strong image must necessarily convey a story, a context, or an emotional journey. While this perspective holds undeniable weight, I believe it overlooks another essential dimension of photography: the power of pure aesthetics.
Photography, like all visual arts, is not bound exclusively to narrative. A photograph can exist as a purely aesthetic object, appreciated for its form, light, composition, texture, or color harmony—without the obligation to carry a story within it. Just as in music we can encounter works that are deeply narrative and programmatic, alongside others that are purely abstract and beautiful in their sound, so too in photography there is room for both approaches.
Historical Perspectives on Pure Aesthetic
Throughout the history of art, there have been periods where the emphasis was placed less on narrative and more on harmony, beauty, and the pursuit of ideal form. These moments remind us that aesthetic value alone can sustain an artwork’s significance.
Classical Antiquity (Greek and Roman art)
Greek sculptors, especially in the Hellenistic period, sought perfection of form and proportion. While myths were often the subjects, the real admiration lay in the mastery of the body, balance, and movement. Roman collectors continued this tradition, valuing art for its refinement and ideal beauty.
The Renaissance and Mannerism (15th–16th centuries)
With artists like Botticelli, Leonardo, and Raffaello, beauty and proportion were elevated to central values, sometimes surpassing the narrative content itself. Later, in Mannerism, painters such asPontormo and Bronzinopushed elegance, artificial grace, and refinement of line, often at the expense of clear storytelling.
The Rococo (18th century)
In the age of Fragonard and Boucher, painting became a celebration of sensual pleasure, pastel colors, and lighthearted elegance. The goal was not moral instruction but delight and decoration—art existed as an object of refined beauty and charm.
The Aesthetic Movement (late 19th century)
Perhaps the clearest manifesto of pure aesthetics arrived with the motto “art for art’s sake.” Figures like James McNeill Whistler, who titled works Nocturnes or Arrangements to stress harmony rather than story, and the later Pre-Raphaelites in their decorative phase, embraced the idea that art’s value lay in its beauty alone. This spirit also resonated in literature with Oscar Wilde.
Art Nouveau (turn of the 20th century)
With Alphonse Mucha and others, ornament, flowing line, and stylized elegance took precedence. These works were not about dramatic narratives but about the enchantment of form itself, often merging painting, illustration, and design into a seamless celebration of beauty.
Aesthetic Power in Photography
These historical precedents remind us that beauty—in composition, tone, texture, or light—can stand on its own as a profound form of expression. In photography:
A composition of light and shadow, shape and form, can be appreciated like a symphony in monochrome.
A simple, quiet scene—free of overt narrative—can resonate emotionally purely through its visual harmony.
Sometimes, viewers don’t ask “what happened here?” but instead immerse themselves in how it feels to see it.
Yes I do agree about it, story is important but not always essential