The Philosophy of Fine Art, volume 3 (of 4): Hegel's Aesthetik
Georg Hegel · en
spiritual impression of the form in its vital outlines, and this is
precisely what drapery effects. It covers up the superfluity of the
organs, which are no doubt necessary for the body's self-support, but
are in other respects superfluous as an expression of the spirit's
import. We are, therefore, not entitled to assert without condition
that the nudity of figures of sculpture in every respect betrays a
higher sense of beauty, and a greater ethical freedom and emaculacy. It
was in this respect, as in others, that a just and spiritual instinct
dominated the Greek.
Children, Cupid for example, where we find the bodily presentment one
of unreserved innocence, and the spiritual beauty consisting just in
this; or, to take other examples, youths, youthful gods, heroic gods,
and heroes, such as Perseus, Hercules, Theseus, Jason, in which cases
heroic courage, and the use and elaboration of the bodily frame in
works of bodily strength and permanence is of most importance; or
wrestlers in the national games, where it is not so much the content
of the action, the spirit and individuality of character, as the
physical aspect of the exploit, the vigour, suppleness, and free play
of the muscles and limbs, which is the source of exclusive interest;
or finally fauns and satyrs, Bacchantes in the frenzy of the dance,
no less than Aphrodite, in so far as the sensuous charm of her beauty
is emphasized--such are the kind of examples which were rendered
in the nude by antique sculpture. Where, on the contrary, a more
lofty significance and reflection, a more ideal earnestness is made
prominent, where in general the natural features are not superlatively
emphasized, there we get drapery. So Winckelmann adduces a case where
among ten statues of the female form only one is wholly undraped.
Among the goddesses Pallas, Juno, Vesta, Diana, Ceres and the Muses
are pre-eminently those which are veiled in drapery, while among the
gods such a treatment particularly applies to Jupiter, and the bearded
Indian Bacchus, with some others.
(_γ_) And finally with regard to the principle of drapery, it is
unquestionable that we have here a subject that critics are very fond
of discussing, and which has consequently to some extent been already
well thrashed out. I will, therefore, limit myself to the few following
remarks.
Generally we have no reason to lament the fact that our modern feeling
of what is respectable is somewhat averse to setting up totally nude
figures. For if the drapery merely permits the pose in question to be
entirely transpicuous instead of covering it up, we lose nothing at
all; rather the drapery is just that which rightly fixes the emphasis,
and is in this respect even an advantage, in so far as it draws us
aside from the direct view of that which as merely sensuous is without
true significance, and simply shows us what is there in relation to the
situation expressed by means of pose and movement.