Beyond the Surface: Art Expresses the Inward Significance

July 19, 2024 By Bulawayo M. 0

“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”
Aristotle

This quote from the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle gets to the heart of art’s true purpose. Too often, we judge art based on how realistically it captures the physical world. But Aristotle reminds us that the highest calling of art is to reveal deeper truths and meanings – to express the hidden essence behind mere appearances.

Aristotle was one of the most influential thinkers of the ancient world. As a student of Plato and the tutor of Alexander the Great, he made groundbreaking contributions to fields like physics, metaphysics, logic, ethics, politics, biology, and poetics. His ideas shaped Western philosophy for centuries to come.

When we approach art with Aristotle’s 8mindset, we open ourselves up to richer, more transcendent experiences. We start to see paintings, music, and other works as portals into the universal human experience – expressions of emotion, explorations of the soul, and reflections of our shared struggles and triumphs.

Take a simple landscape painting, for example. On the surface, it may just depict an ordinary scene. But in the hands of a skilled artist, that landscape becomes a metaphor – a symbol of our own inner journeys, our relationship with nature, or the human condition itself.

By unlocking the inward significance of art, we don’t just enhance our appreciation for creative works. We also become artists of our own existence, imbuing the mundane with meaning and using our creative faculties to shape our reality in ways that reflect our deepest values and aspirations.

So let’s heed Aristotle’s wisdom and strive to see beyond the surface of things. In doing so, we’ll not only enrich our own lives, but contribute to the ongoing legacy of human creativity and the pursuit of truth and beauty!