Aestheticism says that art has no other purpose than to be beautiful. In the late 19th century, from about 1850 to 1899, it was more of an idea than a movement or a statement. Immanuel Kant laid the groundwork for aestheticism. He said that people have different ideas about what is beautiful. Aesthetics is not just about art, though. It is also about synaesthetic effects, which are when words, colors, and music match up.