Emerson distinguishes between two stages of artistic judgement. One is the skill of making a chosen subject prominent through composition, emphasis or presentation. The earlier and more fundamental skill, however, is deciding which subject deserves that prominence. Good design therefore depends not only on execution but also on selection.

Within Beauty, the surrounding passage connects fine art with the deeper instincts and values of the societies that produce it. Emerson suggests that significant art does not arise from arbitrary choices: artists and cultures select subjects that already carry weight, meaning or imaginative force. The quotation can therefore be read as a broader principle of design and communication. Technique can make something noticeable, but artistic judgement begins with recognising what is inherently worth attention. Emerson’s point is not that prominence is objective, but that strong work depends on both choosing well and presenting well.

Full quotation

“In all design, art lies in making your object prominent, but there is a prior art in choosing objects that are prominent. The fine arts have nothing casual, but spring from the instincts of the nations that created them.”