Film material aesthetics is an aesthetic conception proposed by Kracauer in Theory of Film:The Redemption of Physical Reality.Unlike the general aesthetics of film that focuses on form,Kracauer's material aesthetics of film mainly appeal to content,arguing that the main object of film aesthetics is the material indexed by the film.The material aesthetics of film is a concentrated manifestation of Kracauer's thought on the art of sociology,originating from his longstanding reflection on the integration of sociology and aesthetics,and its appeal is to redeem the material reality and modern symptoms through film,with the main points being:the film has the basic characteristic of restoring and displaying the materials being shot,and when it is created within the"specific properties"of recording and revealing the material reality,it can serve as an aesthetic medium to experience reality,stimulate the audience's perception of reality,and deepen the audience's cognition of reality.Through the material aesthetics of film,Kracauer,on the one hand,reexamines the aesthetic value of everyday life,and on the other hand,points out the social significance of film as a modern art.
Siegfried Kracauermaterial aesthetics of filmsociologyTheory of Film