<P> During the first half of the twentieth century , a significant shift to general aesthetic theory took place which attempted to apply aesthetic theory between various forms of art , including the literary arts and the visual arts , to each other . This resulted in the rise of the New Criticism school and debate concerning the intentional fallacy . At issue was the question of whether the aesthetic intentions of the artist in creating the work of art , whatever its specific form , should be associated with the criticism and evaluation of the final product of the work of art , or , if the work of art should be evaluated on its own merits independent of the intentions of the artist . </P>
the field of philosophy called aesthetics asked the question
the question of whether the aesthetic intentions of the artist in creating the work of art , whatever its specific form , should be associated with the criticism and evaluation of the final product of the work of art , or , if the work of art should be evaluated on its own merits independent of the intentions of the artist