While the philosopher contents himself with defining works of art as symbols for the articulation of feelings, as patterns of sentience (Whitehead), the analyst has tried to explore those feelings and has spoken of the biological significance of the patterns articulated. Neither philosophers nor analysts could contribute to the problem of æsthetic value judgments and choice of form in art work.

An excellent historical review and a critical evaluation of analytic viewpoints about artistic creation hold one's interest in this paper beyond the exposition of Read's thesis. Rank, Freud, Schneider, Ehrenzweig, Fairbairn, and Rickman are the analytic authors whose viewpoints are discussed.