The Principles of AestheticsParker, De Witt H. (De Witt Henry)
Philosophy
The Principles of Aesthetics
Parker, De Witt H. (De Witt Henry)
Aesthetics
The different types of unity are by no means exclusive of each other
and are usually found together in any complex work of art. Symmetry
usually involves a combination of harmony and balance. The symmetrical
halves of a Greek vase, for example, are harmonious in so far as their
size and shape are the same, yet balanced as being disposed in opposite
directions, right and left. Rhythm is temporal symmetry, and so also
represents a combination of harmony and balance. Static rhythm is only
apparent; for in every seeming case, the rhythm really pervades the
succession of acts of attention to the elements rather than the elements
themselves; a colonnade, for example, is rhythmical only when the
attention moves from one column to another. There is harmony in rhythm,
for there is always some law--metrical scheme in poetry, time in music,
similarity of column and equality of interval between them in a
colonnade--pervading the elements. But there is also balance; for as
the elements enter the mind one after the other, there is rivalry
between the element now occupying the focus of the attention and the
one that is about to present an equal claim to this position. Because
of its intrinsic value, we tend to hold on to each element as we hear
or see it, but are forced to relinquish it for the sake of the one
that follows; only for a moment can we keep both in the conscious span;
the recurrence and overcoming of the resulting tension, as we follow
the succession through, creates the pulsation so characteristic of
rhythm. The opposition of the elements as in turn they crowd each other
out does not, however, interfere with the harmony, for they have an
existence all together in memory, where the law binding them can be
felt,--a law which each element as it comes into consciousness is
recognized as fulfilling. Since we usually look forward to the end of
the rhythmical movement as a goal, rhythm often exists in combination
with evolution, and is therefore the most inclusive of all artistic
structural forms. In a poem, for example, the metrical rhythm is a
framework overlying the development of the thought. Dramatic unity is
found combined with balance even in the static arts, as, for example,
in the combination of blue and gold, where the balance is not quite
equal, because of a slight movement from the blue to the more brilliant
and striking gold. I have already shown how harmony, opposition, and
evolution may be combined in a melody. In the drama, also, all three
are present. There is a balance of opposing and conflicting wills or
forces; this is unstable; whence movement follows, leading on to the
catastrophe, where the problem is solved; and throughout there is a
single mood or atmosphere in which all participate, creating an
enveloping harmony despite the tension and action. And other
illustrations of combinations of types will come to the mind of every
reader.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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