The Philosophy of Fine Art, volume 3 (of 4): Hegel's Aesthetik — Georg Hegel — John Shaqi
The Philosophy of Fine Art, volume 3 (of 4): Hegel's Aesthetik
Georg Hegel · en
It is no doubt asserted that, though for the Greeks, such a
configuration of the human countenance is presented as the true
presentation of beauty, the Chinese, Jews, and Egyptians, regarded on
the contrary an entirely different type, or rather forms absolutely in
conflict with such, as equally beautiful, or yet more beautiful, and
the conclusion is made that, cancelling one example by another, we have
not proved that the Greek profile is the type of genuine beauty. Such
a statement, however, is wholly superficial. The Greek profile must
in fact not be regarded as any mere external and accidental form, but
approximates to the ideal of beauty by its independent claims, namely,
first, because it is the type of countenance in which the expression of
soul-life forces into the background all that is purely material, and,
secondly, because it to the fullest extent detaches itself from all
that is contingent in the form, without, however, displaying thereby
mere subservience to rule, and leaving no place for every kind of
individuality.
(_β_) With respect to specific types and their closer consideration I
will merely touch upon certain fundamental aspects selected from the
abundant material which otherwise invites attention. In this respect
we may in the _first_ instance refer to the forehead, the eye, and the
ear, as those parts of the face which are most nearly related to the
contemplative, or at least spiritual aspect, and, _secondly_, to the
nose, mouth, and chin, as those relatively speaking more connected with
the organs of practical import.
_Thirdly_, we shall have somewhat to say of the _hair_ as the external
setting, by virtue of which the head is rounded off in an oval shape of
beauty.
(_αα_) The _forehead_ is in the ideal form of classical sculpture,
neither fully arched forward, nor as a rule lofty; for, although the
spiritual aspect has to be prominently emphasized in its configuration
of the visual features, yet it is not as yet spirituality simply
as such, which sculpture has to present before us, but rather
individuality as still exclusively expressed in bodily form.
In heads of Hercules, for example, the forehead is preferably low,
for the reason that Hercules possesses rather the muscular vigour of
the body directed towards external objects than the introspective
energy of mind. And for the rest we find the forehead subject to
many modifications, lower in the case of charming and youthful
feminine forms, and more lofty in the case of figures that represent
substantial character and serious reflection.