Sunday, April 21, 2013

John Tyler -- Art as a Revelation (4-21-13)


Art as a Revelation -- Class reading 

When discussing art as a revelation, Wartenberg writes in his The Nature of Art that for Schopenhauer, “art reveals the nature of reality and gives us access to metaphysical truths about existence” (Wartenberg, 64).  Thus the artist is capable of telling truth about the world yet struggles to reach the fullness of all understanding.  Art can reveal metaphysical truths whereas science is limited to the realm of appearances.  This is interesting in that all art can represent ideas whereas science can only represent things.

Schopenhauer asserts that music is the highest form of art because it brings us into direct contact with the will itself.  Here is where I would disagree.  I believe all forms of art have the potential to create an ecstatic experience.  Since art represents ideas and reveals to us truth about God, there are numerous ways in which we can come into contract with reality. 

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