Sentimental art refers to a large range of emotions that relate to sentimentality. Sentimentality is a concept that is associated with tender, comforting emotions and gentle feelings such as pity, affection, fondness caring and compassion. The type of art that has this characteristic provokes a response while making symbolic references to a cultural standard; this provides the background structure of beliefs and desires about that icon. In Anthony Savile's essay titled, "Sentimentality", he discusses aspects of this mode of feeling from which this paper will explore. According to Savile, this type of art is always open to criticism. Sentimental thought is conducted in the desire to have enjoyable emotions while experiencing the art. Savile believes that a sentimental mode of thought is typically one that idealizes its objects under the guidance of a desire for gratification and reassurance. In normal situations, we have a desire to believe the truth but in a sentimental situation, that desire is overcome by one of two overriding desires. It causes the sentimentalist to feel pleasurable emotions while satisfying the desire for a gratifying self-image. Savile claims that there are two main sorts of distortion in cognitive development when thinking about a situation sentimentally. First, one tends to ignore the relevant evidence by rethinking the situation into a more favorable light, which results in a false image. It is bad to have a mode of thought that idealizes its object under the guidance of desire for gratification and reassurance. Savile believes that sentimentality provokes a sense of defense. Therefore, Savile claims that sentimental art is bad.
Sentimentality can be defined as such because of its content, the artist, and the effects on the audience and/or its formal qualities. The content of the work can be considered sentimental because the subject matter tends to exhibit scenes of excess cuteness, shedding of tears, idealism etc.