How did Arthur Schopenhauer connect aesthetic appreciation to independence from personal will?

In his philosophy of art, Arthur Schopenhauer argued that aesthetic appreciation requires a state of "will-less" contemplation. He posited that individuals can regard an object aesthetically only when they view it in complete independence of their personal will—meaning they perceive it without regard for any practical use, desire, or purpose it might serve.12

By detaching from the "normal urgencies of existence" and the restless, insatiable striving of the will, the observer ceases to be driven by personal passions. In this state of disinterested contemplation, the individual is no longer focused on the object as a means to an end, but instead perceives the "idea" that the object expresses.21

While this aesthetic experience offers a momentary liberation from the service of the will, Schopenhauer noted that it is only a temporary reprieve. True, lasting liberation from the will, in his view, requires transcending the bounds of individuality through compassion and asceticism.1