David Blanton: Arthur Schopenhauer Reading

Schopenhauer defines art as "the way of considering things independently of the principle of sufficient reason." It allows us to perceive things as they are in and of themselves, independent of empirical experience. Instead of tracking the different causes and effects of a tumultuous storm across a sea, art is the single beam of light passing through a gap in the clouds, unaffected by the storms' existence, but sometimes clouded by tangible, empirical experience. This almost transcendent perspective of art is most interesting. When people describe powerful experiences they have had with art, it is often marked by being floored by the piece's beauty. Something, like a beam of light through storm clouds suddenly and powerfully touches them in a unique way. It goes beyond the specific style the artist used but speaks to something deeper, something beyond our sense and what our eyes see. This is most evident in the fact that some people will not be moved by the same piece of art. In fact, it is rare that the same piece of art is viewed in the same way. Rather, art touches each of our distinct wills and has the special ability as a medium of communication to speak to our wills rather than our circumstances.