autotelism

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autotelism

a nonutilitarian theory of art holding that a work of art is an end in itself. — autotelic, adj.
See also: Art
-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.autotelism - belief that a work of art is an end in itself or its own justificationautotelism - belief that a work of art is an end in itself or its own justification
belief - any cognitive content held as true
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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References in periodicals archive
8 Autotelism: That an activity has, within itself, its own purpose.
the source of FLOW & the Battle of the Bottleneck: TO PROTECT ONE SOURCE OF PROFOUND HAPPINESS, YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW YOUR BRAIN CREATES IT. A BRAIN SURGEON EXPLAINS
New Critical autotelism (which relies upon a notion of balance and unity
I object: writing against the contemporary
Ultimately, Martin's hotels fail to distinguish between outside and inside: "The logical extreme of the hotel's expansion, self-sufficiency, and autotelism is that it means to undo the exterior-interior dichotomy altogether" (Saltzman 605).
Architecture and Structure in Steven Millhauser's Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer
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