Artistic contemplation plays a major role in the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860). Art conveys reality in an immediate manner, enabling humans to grasp crucial elements without need of complex explanations.
According to Schopenhauer, artistic contemplation enables people to escape the dire influence of the will (“life force”) and increase their self-awareness.
In his books “The world and will and representation” (1818) and “Parerga and Paralipomena” (1851), Schopenhauer shows how to avert the influence of the will and improve one’s life by making better decisions.
Artistic contemplation constitutes a method to step aside for a while from the relentless pressure exerted by the will. I view artistic contemplation as the easiest method for stepping aside, perceiving the whole picture, and assessing one’s actions.
Schopenhauer and artistic contemplation
What are the advantages of artistic contemplation compared with intellectual analysis? There are several advantages. In the first place, immediacy; artworks can convey insights that every person can grasp right away without further explanation.
Second, art’s power to command attention and make people forget temporarily about pressing problems. The will is making pressure all the time on humans to pursue their primal desires. It can wear people out and drive them into despair. Fortunately, art can draw and hold their attention for a while, giving them a respite from their preoccupations.
Third, art enables humans to transcend individual desires or problems, engage into a state of contemplation, and become one with the world. Art enables individuals to feel at peace, in harmony with the universe, unaffected by the will.
Schopenhauer’s definition of beauty
In “The world and will and representation,” Schopenhauer distinguishes between two types of artistic experiences. On the one hand, he speaks of “the experience of the sublime,” and on the other hand, of “the experience of the beautiful.”
By “sublime,” Schopenhauer means feelings of grandeur or overwhelming awe, such as watching a sunset in the mountains or on the beach.
By “beauty,” Schopenhauer means artworks that generate a feeling of harmony and pleasant proportionality, for example, watching a ballet performance, or looking at one of the villas built by Palladio in Vicenza.
More often than not, beauty results from calculated, devoted actions of the artist. It typically entails idealizing forms, shapes or sounds in order to enhance their harmony and proportion. It renders objects appealing and significant.
Schopenhauer’s argument for universal aesthetics
On the basis of his classification, Schopenhauer argues that beauty transcends individual and cultural boundaries. He puts forward that the principles of beauty are universal because they reply to the human demand for harmony.
Due to its wild and chaotic nature, the will can occasionally produce feelings of awe (“the sublime”), but can rarely create beauty. If left alone, nature can produce impressive sunsets and overwhelming mountains, but cannot make harmonious homes and gardens.
Why did Schopenhauer give beauty an ethical significance? Because it can awaken feelings of belonging, unity, empathy or compassion. When we contemplate beauty, we feel part of the human race, part of a purposeful, meaningful group.
I endorse Schopenhauer’s argument about feelings of unity, belonging and purpose, but I fail to see how artworks can lead, in most cases, to empathy and compassion.
I also subscribe to Schopenhauer’s views on the universality of beauty. When we look at Ancient Greek and Roman temples or Japanese religious architecture, we can perceive underlying harmony.
Nonetheless, the universality argument becomes weaker for what concerns music, for instance, traditional Indian music. It’s obvious that its structure cannot be compared to Mozart, Bach, or other Western classical compositions. The internal harmony is achieved differently.
The benefits of art according to Schopenhauer
In “The world and will and representation,” Schopenhauer defined artworks as objects that enable us to contemplate the world in a state of grace. This definition is colourful, but too subjective. We can argue endlessly about the meaning of “state of grace” and whether art is its only source.
In some passages of his early books, Schopenhauer incurred contradictions by stating that beauty is an embodiment of the will. Eventually, he arrived at the conclusion that beauty is a great method for escaping the will, and helping people feel in harmony and at peace with the world.
Schopenhauer favoured artistic contemplation as a means to escape the suffering generated by the will. This method has the advantages of low-cost, universal availability and repeatability. One can engage in artistic contemplation frequently and at low cost.
Schopenhauer’s explanation of artistic joy
The enjoyment hat humans draw from art possesses positive and negative elements. It is negative in the sense that it negates the wild chaos of the will; and it is positive in the sense that it reflects the human struggle for order, proportionality, harmony, and predictability.
Schopenhauer called art “the language of the soul” because beauty speaks to the heart’s longing for harmony, even if such longing is unnatural. It is created solely by human intelligence, and explains why we feel happier in harmonious environments.
Beauty is indeed a strong antidote to emotional suffering. It gives us solace, consolation, and distraction from distress. It’s a recipe that anyone can use to forget his troubles and find hope and comfort.
If you are interested in applying rational ideas to your daily life in all areas, I recommend you my book “Rational living, rational working.”
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