The Principles of AestheticsParker, De Witt H. (De Witt Henry)
Philosophy
The Principles of Aesthetics
Parker, De Witt H. (De Witt Henry)
Aesthetics
The distinguishing characteristics of aesthetic expression observed by
us--the pleasurableness of the medium, the enhanced unity--serve
intuition as that has been described by us. One of the strongest
objections against the theory of art as intuition, as that theory has
been developed by Croce, for example, is that it provides no place for
charm. Yet without charm there is no complete beauty, and any
interpretation of the facts of the aesthetic experience which neglects
this element is surely inadequate. But charm although an indispensable,
is not an independent, factor in the experience of art; for it serves
intuition. It does so in two ways. The charm of the medium, by drawing
attention to itself, increases the objectivity of the experience
expressed. Even when the experiences felt into color and line and sound
are poignantly our own, to live pleasantly in any one of these
sensations is to live as an object to oneself, the life sharing the
externality of the medium--we put our life out there more readily when
it is pleasant there. And the charm of the medium serves intuition in
another way. When the activities of thought and feeling and imagination
released by the work of art are delightful, they become more delightful
still if the medium in which they function is itself delightful. To
imagine
Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam
Of perilous seas, in fairy lands forlorn
is a pleasure by itself, but more pleasurable, and therefore more
spontaneous, because of the melody of sound in which it is enveloped.
And when the activities expressed are not pleasant, the expression of
them in a delightful medium helps to induce us to make them our own
and accept them notwithstanding. The medium becomes a charming net to
hold us, and because of its allurements we give ourselves the more
freely to its spirit within. The following, for example, is not an
agreeable thought:
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death.
Yet the expression of this thought is pleasant, among other reasons,
because of the rhythmic charm of language. We shall come back to this
fact in our chapter on "The Problem of Evil in Aesthetics." There is
no contradiction between the fair form of a work of art and its content,
however repellent. For if we value the sympathetic knowledge of life,
we shall be glad of any means impelling us to undertake what alone can
give this--a friendly dwelling with life itself. Thus the decorative
and the expressive functions of art are reconciled--pleasure and
intuition meet.
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