Second Worlds

Billy Cox

Second Worlds

This semester we've talked about various philosopher's aesthetic principles, and there is a recurring theme of the world we perceive and another world. Plato argues that this world which we perceive is flawed in some way, and that there exists another realm, a perfect realm. Others argue the difference between the world we perceive and the world we represent through art. Which of these worlds is true? There is merit to the world we express through art it would seem to me. The art may not accurately represent what was viewed, but it could certainly capture the emotions felt by the artist. On the other hand, if the art is not true to the subject it is skewed by the artist's senses. The emotions depicted may be the emotions felt by the artist whilst in the place, but who is to say that myself in that same place would feel these same things? If this is the case then the artists depiction is incomplete, because it fails to capture the full power of a place.