Aristotle’s thoughts on the purpose of art and beauty

Aristotle (384-322 BC) devoted his “Poetics” to defining art and beauty, especially in the field of theatre. For Aristotle, art consists of a reality imitation or reflection (“mimesis”) with a purpose determined by the artist. The Aristotelian concept of art goes beyond defining what is pretty, pleasant or appealing. The goal of art is not to entertain or make your time more pleasant, but to identify truths that are not self-evident. Art conveys ideas that cannot be apprehended in the course of normal life. According to Aristotle, artists produce beauty by integrating harmoniously a theme, subject and style for emotional impact. Artistic beauty is a manifestation of cosmic order and balance, not just a superficial appearance. Artworks use elements from the natural world, but recreating them to enhance their moral significance. “Mimesis” or imitation is an essential concept in Aristotle’s “Poetics.” Aristotle views art (especially poetry and theatre) as a form of imitation of nature, to which the artist adds the essence of human actions and personalities in order to evoke emotions. In Ancient Greece, there were two primary forms of literary art, namely, tragedy and epic poetry. Their narrative structures were different, but both genres aimed at maximum emotional impact leading to a “cathartic experience” in the audience. Aristotle defined “catharsis” as a spiritual renewal brought about by intense emotions. In the case of epic poetry and stage tragedies, Aristotle was referring to emotions such as fear and compassion. Why can witnessing a tragedy in the theatre lead to spiritual renewal? How does the Aristotelian “catharsis” work exactly?When the audience experiences the emotional intensity caused by the story, they overcome their fear and inhibitions, and gain strength to confront the problems in their own life. The hero on the stage gives inspiration to the audience. He’s showing how to conduct difficult struggles, how to pursue key objectives relentlessly, and how to overcome daunting obstacles. In the cathartic process, the audience grows mentally stronger. In contrast to the random qualities of protagonists in today’s movies and television shows, Aristotle expected heroes to meet high ethical standards. Catharsis only takes place if the audience witnesses heroes that embody ethical virtues. Even if the hero ends up making a mistake that destroys him or faces an insoluble moral dilemma, he still represents virtue. As long as his motivation is commendable, his actions are worth watching. Otherwise, the audience will lose interest. According to Aristotle, beauty can be achieved more easily through unity or integration. This means that an artwork needs to have internal consistency. Its theme, subject and style should be coherent. Otherwise, they won’t succeed in conveying the truth. In the theatre, Aristotle recommended playwrights to attain integration through “unity of action.” This means that their plot should be well-constructed and relatively straightforward. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/aristotles-thoughts-on-the-purpose-of-art-and-beauty/