Notes on Burke and Kant

(Originally Written January 5, 2008 in the Journal)

Actually Mr. Burke, I have a thought: any piece of art must be sublime in order to invoke emotion. The artist must master the use of the sublime. Sublime can be the syntax of art as language? Sublime as syntax, I like that. But does it work?

Study points: What are the components of language? Words, grammar, syntax... How does a language form? History, evolution? Are there paradigm shifts in language?

"Judgments about the Beautiful"
By: Immanuel Kant

Taste is the faculty of estimating an object by means of a delight or aversion apart from any interest.

When taste finds the object to be delightful, the object is called beautiful.

In order to make a judgment of taste (i.e. such and such is beautiful) one must be completely disinterested.

"The Beautiful is that which, apart from a concept, pleases universally".

What is beautiful is so, universally. That which is agreeable is particular. Whatever is agreeable, is 'agreeable-to-me'.

There are two types of Beauty:

1. Free beauty (pulchritudo vaga)
2. Dependent beauty (pulchritudo adhaerens)

Free beauty has no presupposition of what the object should be.

Dependent beauty presupposes a concept of what the object should be.

Those who are dependent beauties have a concept attached to them. Thus, a man/woman is a dependent beauty and each individual must be measured against the perfect concept of man.

Fine art is the art of genius.

Genius is natural endowment, talent.

Genius gives the rule to art.

Talent is an innate faculty of the artist.

Every art form presupposes rules which are at its foundation and render creation possible.

Only genius can give rule to fine art. Only genius can be the foundation of fine art and therefore genius is a necessary part of creating fine art.

Genius is a talent for producing art for which no definite rule can be given.

Originality is the primary property of genius. As such. genius cannot be taught.

Genius must establish itself as a rule to be imitated while being original itself.

Genius cannot account for how or why the thought came into his head, only that it did.