The evolution of contemporary art has increasingly undermined the capacity of aesthetics to fulfill its traditional role, leading to widespread critiques of its relevance. While “aesthetic dissatisfaction” may seem like an enduring concern within aesthetic theory, the recent formulation of this issue by Jacques Rancière highlights a more profound existential crisis for aesthetics in the contemporary art world. Contemporary artistic practices tend to exclude “beauty” from their scope, while direct artistic thought has supplanted the ideal of beauty, complicating aesthetics’ position within art. Although modernist aesthetic practices redefined the “idea of beauty,” this redefinition largely remains sidelined in actual artistic practice, which increasingly veers toward an art “beyond beauty.” In light of this, it is crucial to step beyond traditional aesthetic boundaries and reexamine the role of aesthetics, especially within the intricate relationship between aesthetics, philosophy, and art. Non-aesthetic and anti-aesthetic approaches seek to bypass the “idea of beauty” by recalibrating the relationship between art and philosophy, proposing new ways to interpret the shifting landscape of contemporary art. Meanwhile, a return to the philosophy of perception does not discard the intermediary role of aesthetics, but rather attempts to revitalize its utility by positioning it as a framework for identifying and understanding art in the modern context.