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
uniquely his own, a learning and process of reflection has become, the
more every particular art, nay, every branch of the same, now renders
necessary the completeness of a treatment of it from the individual's
standpoint. As a corollary the historical aspect of such a survey and
the criticism of works of art, which becomes inevitable, only add yet
further to the learning and range of the subject. It is, moreover,
essential before we take part in any discussion over the details of
matters of artistic import that we should already have seen much and
many times. Personally I have no doubt seen a considerable amount, but
by no means all that is necessary to enable me to discuss the material
of art exhaustively. All such difficulties, however, we may meet with
the simple response that it does not lie within the aim of the present
work to teach art-criticism, or to bring forward an historical review
of such learning, or only to the extent such is necessary to apprehend
on philosophical principles the essential and universal aspects of
our subject, and their relation to the idea of the beautiful in its
realization within the sensuous medium of art. If we keep this aim
before us the variety of artistic effects we above indicated need
cause us no embarrassment; for despite this complexity the essential
character of the subject-matter according to its notional idea is the
controlling factor; and although this is frequently lost in accidental
matter by virtue of the medium in which it is realized, points of view
are none the less in evidence, in which it is as clearly proclaimed. To
grasp these aspects, and to develop them in a scientific way, is the
very problem which it is the function of philosophy to elucidate.
FIRST SUBSECTION
ARCHITECTURE