Art as a Synthesis of Form and Expression
3 important questions on Art as a Synthesis of Form and Expression
Consider Raphael's The Transfiguration (1516-20).
Can you explain how Friedrich Nietzsche used this painting to epitomise the unity, or mutual necessity, of the Apollonian and the Dionysian?
- The bottom half represents the Dionysian.
- You see possessed boys, the disciples distraught with fear which is a reflection of eternal primal anguish.
- Highlights the passionate emotional state of the Dionysian.
- The upper half reflects the Apollinian state.
- It reflects the dream state which makes the anguish and hardships of real life bearable.
- Nietzsche views this painting as the evidence of the highest artistic symbolism and an illustration how much the Apollinian dream and the Dionysian anguish are mutually dependent.
Consider Raphael's The Transfiguration (1516-20).
By using this painting as an example, can you explain why Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) referred to his Dionysian state as "appearance" and his Apollinian state as "appearance of appearance"?
- Appearance: The bottom (Dionysian) half depicts the possessed boys distraught with fear.
- This is an imitation or mimesis of reality and therefore an "appearance".
- Appearance of Appearance: The upper half is a depiction of a dream, an Apollinian illusion, used to make life bearable.
- This is not a reflection of reality, but a reflection of a reflection (dream).
- I.e., an Appearance of appearance.
Can you name the two main points of criticism on Nietzsche's ideas of the Apollonian and the Dionysian?
- Vage distinction: Nietzsche's distinction between the Apollonian and the Dionysian is not always clear.
- Concrete applications to art: Nietzsche’s ideas are not always directly applicable to specific works of art, as they focus more on the creative act than on the characteristics of the final piece.
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