Blog 4

I do not think that artworks communicate a truth. Perhaps it is true that they can communicate various truths that people can agree upon, but there is no objective truth in artworks. Plato's account of mimesis lends itself to two different kinds of truth; both of those truths are not the kind that I think artworks communicate. In Aristotle's analysis of Tragedy, I think he points us closer to the point at which artworks can communicate truths. Nietzsche, on the other hand, argues that Tragedy does not in fact lead the audience on a quest towards truth, but rather that it serves as a distraction from the harsh realities of life. I believe that some people may use artwork as a means for distraction, but most people ask questions and pursue knowledge. It is the pursuit of this knowledge that leads spectators towards truths.

Much like Heidegger does in the "Origin of the Work of Art," I think that it is important to search for an understanding of what I mean by truth. While some may still believe in Plato's account of artwork, I do not agree with him. I think that there are two possible understandings of truth from artworks that Aristotle's idea of mimesis permits. On the one hand, there is Plato's sense of truth that sits at the top of his chart of objects. At the top is the idea, form, or truth, below that is the particular or instantiated object of the form, and at the bottom is the imitation of the object. From this perspective, art does contain truth but a lesser version of truth that is twice removed from the actual form of truth.

The other form of truth that I think one can pull from Plato comes out if one does not take his understanding of mimesis as strictly as he does. If one thinks that artworks are simply trying to imitate an image then they have a sense of truth that is relatively straightforward. Artworks contain truth if they accurately represent the object of the painting. This accuracy could come as a simple representation of an image like a painting of a landscape or it could be a painting that has some metaphorical or hidden meaning that may critique some aspect of society. Both of these interpretations do not capture my understanding of either artwork or of truth in artworks, however.

In the Poetics, Aristotle suggests that Tragedy might have some notion of truth, although he does not use that language himself. He claims that Tragedy teaches us the surprising but necessary consequences of our moral actions. Through the process of catharsis we are able to involve ourselves in the Tragedy but hold ourselves at a distance simultaneously. Once we have cleansed ourselves of the emotions attached to the Tragedy we are left with thought. This thought can provide us with some notion of truth. Here again I would like to differentiate from the Platonic sense of truth that I derived earlier. It is not that a Tragedy teaches you something obvious like not to marry your mother and kill your father in the case of Oedipus, but rather that it is supposed to get you to reflect on fate, moral action, and many other such topics. In this reflection it might be possible to find some truths.

Nietzsche takes a rather similar argument to that of Aristotle in his analysis of Tragedy, but he ultimately argues that Tragedy is a way of finding meaning in the absence of truth. For Nietzsche, art does not serve a willed truth because there is no original will to truth. Humans actually want illusion. The desire to know the truth, although not every time, gets in the way of enjoying and living life. Tragedy allows us be deceived and to escape from the harsh realities and truth of life. If Nietzsche's assessment of Tragedy is correct, then there is no truth in artworks. Artwork is just a mere diversion from life and it expresses our vital forces towards the will to power. While this maybe true for some people, I am not sure that it works for everyone. From my own experience, I have found much joy in asking questions in life and learning from those questions, and I am fairly certain that I am not alone.

It is my belief that there are a fair number of people in the world who are interested in finding the truth and are not some crazed individuals who go against the natural order. Of course there are individuals who do enjoy art solely to escape reality, but often those people do not appreciate art properly whether because of educational background or lack of necessary knowledge. If you can read Oedipus and not think about different meanings of fate and moral action, then you either did not understand the Tragedy properly or you somehow acted merely as a spectator. The questions you ask and the answers you give may be different per person, but they will generally fall in the same categories. This is where artworks communicate truth, if at all. While there may be different responses to an artwork, it is likely that if someone were in the same position as you they too would feel the same way as you. They are not the truths of Plato's account of mimesis, but all those different positions represent the possible truths that an artwork might communicate.