阿多諾是現代主義藝術的堅定維護者。他從"藝術自律"觀念出發,批判了先鋒派以"自發性"為核心的藝術理念。他認為所謂的"自發觀念"和"直接意識"往往是未經反思的"物化意識"。先鋒派的"自動寫作""拼貼"和"蒙太奇"等創作手法,不僅使得自律藝術陷入危機,還會危及藝術本身。先鋒藝術的藝術形式是無機的,這使得它們不僅不能"介入"現實、批判資本體系,還會因形式破碎而受到"文化工業"的侵染,墮入到資本主義體系之中。對此,阿多諾認為真正優秀的藝術作品應是依據"藝術邏輯"構建自身的作品。此類作品是理性的結晶。"藝術邏輯"既吸納了"演繹邏輯"的合理之處,又批判了"演繹邏輯"的壓抑形態即"工具理性"。然而,阿多諾借助藝術批判理性的做法,遭到哈貝馬斯和韋爾默的有意"誤讀"。他們認為阿多諾的"審美主義"觀念實則將審美置于理性之上,試圖通過審美來解決社會現代性帶來的問題。然而,這種"審美主義"觀念恰恰是阿多諾反對的。

Adorno staunchly supports modernist art. From the concept of "art autonomy,"he criticizes the avant-garde’s artistic ideas,which centers on the concept of "spontaneity. " As he argues,the so-called "spontaneous ideas " and "immediate consciousness"are the "reified consciousnesses"which are constantly unexamined. Avant-garde’s skills of creating art works,including "autonomous writing,""collage"and"montage,"not only put the autonomous arts in danger,but also harm art itself.The artistic form of avant-garde is inorganic,which hampers itself to engage in reality and the critique of the capitalist system.Moreover,this situation would also be contaminated by the"cultural industry"insomuch as its tattered form,and degenerate into the capitalist system. Accordingly,Adorno argues that the truly excellent art works should be those that are self-constructed based on the "art logic. "Art works of this sort are crystalized by rationality. On the one hand,art logic absorbs the rational aspect of deductive logic; on the other hand,it also criticizes deductive logic’s repressive form( "instrumental rationality"in other words).However,Adorno’s action of borrowing art-rationality is intentionally misread by Habermas and Wellmer. For them,Adorno’s aestheticism actually puts aesthetic above rationality,and tries to solve the problems caused by social modernity through art.Nevertheless,this aestheticism is exactly what Adorno opposes.