¨Aesthetic¨ is often defined as ¨purely beautiful.¨ In the late 1860s through the 1890s artists and designers rebelled against the then-popular Victorian convention, proclaiming their desire for ¨art for art's sake.¨
The simplicity and elegance of Chinese and Japanese art forms of the late 19th century appealed to many of famous British intelligentsia (William Morris, Oscar Wilde and others) who reacted against the ornate, over-embellished Victorian style of the time. Aesthetic movement furniture is characterized by simple but elegant design; Edward Godwin, for example, used decoration sparingly. Rather, the beauty of the Aesthetic Movement furniture lay in the design and in beautiful details that ornamented otherwise simpler pieces.
Becoming popular throughout Europe and the United States, the Aesthetic Movement paved the way for more ¨modern¨ styles, in addition to the Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Nouveau, and later, Art Deco.