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
_Secondly_, there is the _classical_ type, which gives independent form
to spiritual individuality, divesting on the other hand the art of
building of its self-subsistency, and degrading it in the intent to set
up an inorganic environment under the forms of art, for the spiritual
significances which are now on their part independently realized.
_Thirdly_, _romantic_ architecture, in other words the so-called
Moorish, Gothic, and German, in which, it is true, houses, churches,
and palaces are also merely the dwellings and places in which civic
and religious needs and activities are concentrated; which, however,
conversely are also shaped and raised without let or hindrance for the
express object of emphasizing their self-subsistency.
Although on the grounds already advanced architecture in respect to
its fundamental character remains of a symbolic type, yet the artistic
types known as the truly symbolic, classical, and romantic constitute
the closest means of defining it, and are here of greater importance
than in the other arts. For in sculpture the classical, and in music
and painting the romantic, penetrates so profoundly to the entire
root-basis of these arts respectively, that for the elaboration of
the type of the other arts[33], to a more or less degree, but little
room is left for other aspects. And, finally, in poetry, though it is
the fact that it gives the most complete impress in its art-products
of the entire series of art-types, we shall find it necessary to
make our classification not by means of the distinction between
symbolic, classic, and romantic poetry, but according to the specific
differentiation applicable to poetry as a particular art in epic,
lyrical, and dramatic poetry. Architecture is, on the other hand, art
in its immediate relation to the external medium, so that in this case
the essential differences consist in this, whether this external matter
receives its significance intrinsically, or is treated as a means for
an object other than it, or finally asserts itself in this subservience
as at the same time independent. The first case is identical with
the symbolic type simply, the second with the classical, the real
significance attaining here an independent presentation, and in doing
this the symbolic is attached as an environment wholly external to it,
a type which is exemplified in the principle of classical art. The
union of these two types is coincident with the romantic, in so far,
that is, as romantic art makes use of the exterior medium as a means of
expression, yet withdraws itself into itself out of this reality, and
is consequently able once more by doing so to let objective existence
stand forth in self-subsistent embodiment.
[Footnote 1: _Gediegene_ here seems to mean that the unity is a real
one throughout all its manifestations--it is one of sterling efficacy.]