Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Class notes on Hegelian Aesthetics

(Originally written February 27, 2007 in Book 16)

Hegel (1770-1832)

Last of the German Idealists

In order to do philosophy one must have a coherent framework.

Philosophy is an aspect of God's self-conscious.

Spirit is the ultimate reality.

"Rational is the real and the real is the rational".

Art is one of the three modes of expressing the Absolute Spirit:
1. Art
2. Religion
3. Philosophy

To understand Absolute Spirit one must first understand:
1) Subjective Spirit - known introspectively
2) Objective Spirit - the concrete world is spirit objectified

Dialectical Method

Thesis
Antithesis
Synthesis

The Dialectical method is how Hegel understood all phenomena.

Art precedes from Spirit. Art is part of the absolute's self-manifestation of thought.

Inspiration is a subjective thing in art, but the expression of that inspiration through the work of art is an objectification of a subjective inspiration.

Art is aiming at unifying the subjective and objective

Three types of Art:
Symbolic - sensors element dominates
Romantic - ideas dominate the sensuous part
Classical - a harmony of idea and sensuous part

Architecture is the paradigm of symbolic art.

Sculpture is the paradigm of classical art.

Romantic art is the quintessential art of Christendom, the true Religion.

Art is wasting its time if it is solely imitating nature.

The purpose of art is transcendent. Art is a way spirit is getting to know itself.

Hegelianism continues on through:

1. Marxism
2. Process Theory
3. John Dewey

Dewey held each art form has its own language.

Dewey states that since art always challenges conventions art is essentially liberal and is about producing something new and different.


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