The reader's attention is offered a book written by the famous Russian scientist - philosopher, logician and literary critic V.F. Asmus (1894-1975). The author examines the history of German classical aesthetics of the 18th century, starting with the works of the founder of this science A. Baumgarten. The book sets out the theory of art by I. Winkelman, the aesthetic views of G. Lessing and F. Schiller, the development of an aesthetic problem in the philosophy of I. Kant.