Aristotle (384-322 BC) devoted his “Poetics” to defining art and beauty, especially in the field of theatre. For Aristotle, art consists of a reality imitation or reflection (“mimesis”) with a purpose determined by the artist.
The Aristotelian concept of art goes beyond defining what is pretty, pleasant or appealing. The goal of art is not to entertain or make your time more pleasant, but to identify truths that are not self-evident. Art conveys ideas that cannot be apprehended in the course of normal life.
According to Aristotle, artists produce beauty by integrating harmoniously a theme, subject and style for emotional impact. Artistic beauty is a manifestation of cosmic order and balance, not just a superficial appearance. Artworks use elements from the natural world, but recreating them to enhance their moral significance.
“Mimesis” or imitation is an essential concept in Aristotle’s “Poetics.” Aristotle views art (especially poetry and theatre) as form of imitation of nature, to which the artist adds the essence of human actions and personalities in order to evoke emotions.
In Ancient Greece, there were two primary forms of literary art, namely, tragedy and epic poetry. Their narrative structures were different, but both genres aimed at maximum emotional impact leading to a “cathartic experience” in the audience.
Catharsis in Aristotle’s thoughts on art and beauty
Aristotle defined “catharsis” as a spiritual renewal brought about by intense emotions. In the case of epic poetry and stage tragedies, Aristotle was referring to emotions such as fear and compassion.
Why can witnessing a tragedy in the theatre lead to spiritual renewal? How does the Aristotelian “catharsis” work exactly?When the audience experiences the emotional intensity caused by the story, they overcome their fear and inhibitions, and gain strength to confront the problems in their own life.
The hero on the stage gives inspiration to the audience. He’s showing how to conduct difficult struggles, how to pursue key objectives relentlessly, how to overcome daunting obstacles. In the cathartic process, the audience grows mentally stronger.
In contrast to the random qualities of protagonists in today’s movies and television shows, Aristotle expected heroes to meet high ethical standards.
Catharsis only takes place if the audience witnesses heroes that embody ethical virtues. Even if the hero ends up making a mistake that destroys him or faces an insoluble moral dilemma, he stills represents virtue.
As long as his motivation is commendable, his actions are worth watching. Otherwise, the audience will lose interest.
Unity of action in Aristotle’s thoughts on art and beauty
According to Aristotle, beauty can be achieved more easily through unity or integration. This means that an artwork needs to have internal consistency. Its theme, subject and style should be coherent. Otherwise, they won’t succeed in conveying truth.
In the theatre, Aristotle recommended playwrights to attain integration through “unity of action.” This means that their plot should be well-constructed and relatively straightforward. The events should be causally connected, but not self-evident.
Plays or novels should include a clear beginning and middle that are followed by a logical ending; only cohesive stories can resonate with the audience. If a story is dishevelled because it contains too many sub-plots, the audience will lose interest.
Mimesis in Aristotle’s thoughts on art and beauty
Aristotle defined the principle that beauty and artistic effect can only achieved through selective “mimesis” or imitation. A story in a novel or movie should imitate reality (otherwise, the audience won’t know what to make of it), but only selectively.
Selectivity is the primary task of the artist. He had to decide what to imitate, to which extent, and what to leave out. A hero in a good novel and movie is going to be stylized. He is going to be larger than life in terms of physical or moral strength, but his challenges are also going to be larger than life.
The goal of selective mimesis (slanted imitation) is to stress specific aspects. Artists are going to accentuate elements that reveal important truths. Good art is realistic, but not too much. It is imaginative, but credible. It is fictional, but inspirational.
In his “Poetics,” Aristotle calls for artists to practise highly selective imitation. He asks them to select from reality only the elements that fit their creative vision.
Aristotle defined the artists’ mission as mixing the familiar and the imaginative to produce emotional impact and convey a unique perspective to the audience. Without emotional impact and unique perspectives, art degrades into entertainment.
In contrast to entertainment, art serves a higher end. It gives a deep understanding of reality and conveys universal truths on the human condition. It reveals the essence of life and provides profound insights.
Aristotle’s thoughts on art and beauty applied to epic poetry
Selected mimesis plays a crucial role also in poetry. Good poems imitate reality (especially human action) through word selection, structure, rhythm and rhyme. Poets employ literary devices such as metaphors to heighten the emotional effect and accentuate their message.
In Ancient Greece, the major poetry genre was epic poetry, which recounts the deeds of heroic characters. The principle of unity of action (a well-constructed plot) remains applicable but in contrast to stage plays, poems have no temporal and spatial constraints.
An epic poem may recount long-drawn events linked by a narrative thread; as long as the action keeps moving forward in a logical manner, the audience can maintain interest. Selective mimesis also applies to the events and narrator’s perspective.
Jean Racine and Aristotle’s thoughts on art and beauty
The French playwright Jean Racine (1639-1699) embraced Aristotle’s aesthetic ideas. Racine’s tragedies such as “Phedre” and “Andromaque” portray tragic heroes and employ plots that have a strong unity of action.
Just as Aristotle had identified in his “Poetics,” the heroes in Racine’s plays have a noble character, but commit dire errors that lead to their downfall. Racine’s plots are tightly woven to heightened their emotional impact.
Did Racine place an emphasis on catharsis, just as Aristotle had done? Yes, he did. The dilemmas faced by Racine’s heroes elicit fear and pity, leading audiences to a spiritual renewal and emotional strength. The cathartic experience is first-rate.
Racine impressed his own style in his works by employing alexandrine verse. The language in his tragedies is much more rhythmic that Aristotle had possibly imagined, but achieves an extraordinary emotional impact.
Moliere and Aristotle’s thoughts on art and beauty
Another French playwright, Moliere (1622-1673) composed comedies in which Aristotle’s influence is clearly discernible. I regard his plays “The Misanthrope” and “Tartuffe” as the best mixture of stylized characters and well-constructed plots.
Moliere created comedic archetypes with exaggerated flaws leading to absurd, humorous adventures. His characters lead to catharsis though comedic tension, witty language, amusement, and a happy ending.
Pierre Corneille and Aristotle’s thoughts on art and beauty
In the realm tragedy, the French playwright Pierre Corneille (1606-1684) followed Aristotle’s theories almost literally. In Corneille’s tragedy “The Cid,” the protagonist Rodrigue shows high ethical qualities, but faces a dilemma between love and duty. The dilemma will drive Rodrigue to a tragic end.
Corneille remained loyal to Aristotle’s unity of action, but allowed for flexibility in the unity of time and place. In this way, he was able to craft complex plots that are impossible to restrain to a short time period and a single location.
The works by Racine, Moliere and Corneille provide great examples of Aristotle’s ideas on the purpose of art (“catharsis”) and beauty. The choices made by their heroes lead to a strong audience response, spiritual renewal, and emotional strength.
If you are interested in applying Aristotelian philosophy to problem solving, I recommend you my book titled “Against all odds: How to achieve great victories in desperate times.”
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