[a] An aesthetic interpretation expresses a particular emotional or experiential understanding most often used in reference to a poem or piece of literature, and may also apply to a work of visual art or performance.
One kind of relativistic interpretation is called "formal," referring to the "form" or shape of patterns in the words of a text, especially a poem or song.
In the early 20th Century the German philosopher Martin Heidegger explored questions of formal philosophical analysis verses personal interpretations of aesthetic experience, preferencing the direct subjective experience of a work of art as essential to an individual's aesthetic interpretation.
[3] A contemporary theory informed by awareness that an ever-expanding exposure to ideas made possible by the internet has changed both the act of creation, and the experience of perception, is known as Multi Factorial Apperception (MFA).
This approach seeks to integrate a wide range of cultural variables to expand the contextual frame for viewing the creation, and perception, of aesthetic experience.