Book: Art as Imitation: Plato
Plato’s theory of art states that art is an imitation of an
imitation. However, it also depends on his theory of forms. His philosopher-hero
Socrates believed that, “artistic creations – paintings and poems – stand triply
removed from the real; that is, there are two realms of existence more real than
art objects, the Forms themselves, and the things of daily life” (Wartenberg
13). He believed that the goal of art was to imitate something. Artists are
less attuned to reality than craftsmen. Craftsmen are copying the form whereas artists
are copying the copy. By arguing that art is simply the copy of a form it
distracts the viewer from the reality. When an artist paints the picture of a
landscape they are not only copying the landscape but incorporating their own
feelings so the painting cannot be seen as a reality.
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