From Work of Art to Documentation of Art In the past few decades, interest in the art community has increasingly shifted from work of art to documentation of art. This shift is a symptom of a more general and deeper

11. The structure of the goal The development of the category "goal" is an important and urgent task of social cognition. “Forecasting”, “foresight”, “planning” - all these concepts of social science are in one form or another connected with the concept of “goal”. A goal is a consistent

Mythology. About the beginning of the development of art and its main contradiction. The origins of decorative and applied art Apparently, mankind did not easily part with that way of mastering the world, in which man himself was supposed to be the highest - albeit unconscious - goal, and

Very often, turning to some work of art, we involuntarily ask ourselves the question: why? Why was this book written? What did the artist want to say with this painting? Why did this particular piece of music affect us so strongly?

What is the purpose of creating a work of art? It is known that no other animal species, except for Homo sapiens, can be the creator of art. After all, art goes beyond merely useful, it satisfies other, higher human needs.
Of course, there is no one reason for creating various works of art - there are many reasons, as many interpretations.
According to the purpose of creating works of art can be divided into motivated and unmotivated.

Unmotivated Goals

You can often hear: “The soul sings!”, “The words themselves are torn out!” and similar statements. What does this mean?
This means that the person has the need to express oneself, one's feelings and thoughts. There are many ways to express. Have you ever seen inscriptions on a tree (bench, wall) with something like this: “Vanya was here” or “Seryozha + Tanya”? Of course we saw! The man so wanted to express his feelings! You can, of course, express these same feelings in another way, for example, like this:

I remember a wonderful moment:

You appeared before me...

But... By the way, that is why children should be introduced to art from a very early age, so that their ways of self-expression would subsequently be more diverse.
Fortunately, there are people with a rich imagination and a deep inner world who can express their feelings and thoughts in such a way that they will captivate other people, and not only captivate, but sometimes force them to reconsider their own inner world and their attitudes. Such works of art can be created by people in whose souls there is instinctively harmony, a sense of rhythm, which is akin to nature. Albert Einstein believed that the purpose of art is desire for mystery, the ability to feel one's connection with the Universe: “The most beautiful thing that we can experience in life is mystery. It is the source of all true art or science." Well, it is also impossible to disagree with this.

Leonardo da Vinci "Mona Lisa" ("La Gioconda")

And an example of this is the "Mona Lisa" ("La Gioconda") by Leonardo da Vinci, whose mysterious smile cannot be unraveled to this day. “It will soon be four centuries since the Mona Lisa deprives everyone who, having seen enough of it, begins to talk about it,” he said with a share of bitter irony at the end of the 19th century. Gruye.

Imagination, inherent in man, is also an unmotivated function of art. What does this mean? It is not always possible to put into words what you feel. The Russian poet F. Tyutchev spoke well about this:

How can the heart express itself?
How can someone else understand you?
Will he understand how you live?
Thought spoken is a lie.
(F.I. Tyutchev "Silentium!")

There is another function of art, which is at the same time its goal: opportunity to reach out to the whole world. After all, what is created (music, sculpture, poetry, etc.) is given to people.

Motivated Goals

Everything is clear here: the work is created with a predetermined purpose. The goal may be different, for example, pay attention to some phenomenon in society. It was for this purpose that the novel by L.N. Tolstoy "Resurrection".

L.N. Tolstoy

Sometimes an artist creates his work as illustrations for a work by another author. And if he does it very well, then a new, unique work of a different kind of art appears. An example is the musical illustrations by G.V. Sviridov to the story by A.S. Pushkin "Snowstorm".

G.V. Sviridov
Works of art can be created and for fun: such as cartoons. Although, of course, a good cartoon not only entertains, but certainly conveys some useful emotions or thoughts to the audience.
At the beginning of the XX century. many unusual works were created, which were called avant-garde art. There are several directions in it (dadaism, surrealism, constructivism, etc.), which we will talk about in more detail in the future. So the goal of avant-garde art was provoking political change, this art is assertive, uncompromising. Remember the poems of V. Mayakovsky.
It turns out that the purpose of art can even be human recovery. In any case, this is the opinion of psychotherapists who use music for relaxation, color and paint - to influence the mental state of a person. After all, it is not for nothing that they say that a word can kill, but it can also save.

There are words - like wounds, words - like a court, -
They do not surrender with them and do not take prisoners.
Words can kill, words can save
In a word, you can lead the shelves behind you.
In a word, you can sell, and betray, and buy,
The word can be poured into smashing lead.
(V. Shefner "Words")

There is even art for social protest- this is the so-called street art, the most famous variety of which is the art of graffiti.

The main thing in street art is to engage the viewer in a dialogue and show your program of seeing the world, thinking. But here you need to be very careful: graffiti can be illegal and a form of vandalism if applied without permission to buses, trains, house walls, bridges and other conspicuous places.

And finally advertising. Can it be considered art? To some extent, yes, because although it is created to promote a commercial product by creating a positive attitude towards it, it can be performed at a high artistic level.
All the functions of art we have named can exist (and do exist) in interaction, i.e. you can, for example, entertain and at the same time covertly advertise something.
It should be noted that, unfortunately, one of the characteristic features of postmodern art (after the 1970s) is the growth of utilitarianism, a focus on commercialization, and unmotivated art becomes the lot of the elite. Why "Unfortunately"? Try to answer this question yourself.
By the way, let's talk about art for the elite. Now this expression has somewhat changed its meaning. Previously, the “chosen ones” were considered to be upper-class people, rich, able to buy beautiful and sometimes useless things, prone to luxury. It was for such people that the Palace of Versailles or the Hermitage in St. Petersburg were built, with their extensive collections collected by the richest monarchs of Europe. Such collections can only be afforded by very wealthy individuals, governments or organizations. But, to the credit of many of these people, they then transferred the collections they collected to the state.

I. Kramskoy "Portrait of P.M. Tretyakov"

Here we cannot but recall the Russian merchant Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov, founder of the State Tretyakov Gallery, or president of the regional railway networkJohn Taylor Johnston, whose personal art collection formed the basis of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York). At that time, artists sought to ensure that access to works of art was open to everyone: for people of any social status and for children. Now it has become possible, but right now the masses have not really needed art or need only utilitarian art. In this case, people who are interested in unmotivated art, which satisfies, as we said earlier, the highest human needs - the needs of the soul, heart and mind, already become the “chosen ones”.

Lecture, abstract. What are the main functions, tasks of art? Briefly. - concept and types. Classification, essence and features.

Art as a source of pleasure

“The essence of any art is giving pleasure.

have fun" (Mikhail Baryshnikov)

Often, works of art are born either due to strong inner feelings of the artist, or, as a result, some turning point in the life of the creator. Tolstoy (1828-1910) believed that painting makes viewers experience the emotions inherent in the artist, but for this the artist must experience these emotions and correctly embody them in the picture.

But painting is the result of not only emotions and creative inspiration. The picture arises due to the interaction of many factors - the artist with his materials, personal experience, works of art, viewers.

Art is a dialogue in which the painting must earn its right to exist in the cultural life of society.

Man is a social being. Human history shows that humans have always wanted to share their thoughts and feelings with other beings. Painting is one of the most ancient forms of art known to man. The forms of art have changed over the millennia, but it is still the most popular means of communication.

In every corner of the globe there are various forms of art: on documents, dishes (glass, porcelain), clothes, etc. Even wall art - graffiti, is considered as such, since it is also designed to convey thoughts and feelings. However, painting is the most popular form of art known. It is believed that it was invented in Afghanistan, and later, during the Renaissance, it was distributed among artists. During this period, artists depicted struggle, emotional experiences and secret desires on the canvas.

Over the centuries, the “picture” has changed its shape, in this period it is the well-known “modern picture” - a work of art that we see hanging on the wall of the house, in the office, in our favorite restaurant, and of course in the art gallery.

Studies have shown that painting gives the same pleasure as falling in love. The project was led by Professor Samir Zeki, who works in the Department of Neuroaesthetics at University College London. He claims that they were guided by the desire to know what feelings a person experiences when looking at a beautiful picture.

“There is a connection between the artist and the viewer, thanks to which the latter can feel part of the pleasure received from painting and the joy of the creative process. Only color can become such a connection. But there is something that only another person can see and feel. Something very important. It `s Magic. ( Sara Genn )»

The experiment involved several dozen people, selected at random, with elementary knowledge in the field of art. Thus, the participants were able to have an open mind about the paintings, without experiencing personal sympathy for the artists.

“We found that whether you are looking at a landscape, a still life, an abstraction, or a portrait, there is a strong activity in the part of the brain that is responsible for pleasure,” says Professor Samir Zeki.

During the experiment, people were in the scanner (MRI), every 10 seconds they were shown a series of pictures. After that, the pressure in one of the parts of the brain was measured.

The reaction was immediate. It turns out that the pressure rises, in accordance with how much a person likes the picture.

According to the study, admiring a beautiful picture, the pressure rises in the same way as when you look at your loved one.

Thus, art stimulates the part of the brain that is responsible for pleasure.

Previous research has shown that painting can reduce pain and speed up recovery.

Thus, scientists have received scientific evidence that people feel better thanks to art.

Fortunately, painting can give pleasure not only to the audience.

"Draw pleasure, write pleasure,

express pleasure" Pierre Bonnard )

Only an artist can understand what a pleasure it is to draw. No need to interact with the outside world, there is only you and nature. The feeling of happiness comes already when you just sit down at the easel. As soon as you take a pencil or a brush in your hand, a shiver runs through your body from the anticipation of the upcoming communication with nature. No experiences disturb the creative process: no need to refute ridiculous arguments, fight enemies, strain. No pretense, no game, no attempts to turn black into white or vice versa. With the naivety of a child and the devotion of a true enthusiast, you place yourself in the hands of a greater force - Nature ... joyfully studying her conditions and becoming acquainted with her uniqueness with delight. The mind is calm and at the same time full of energy. Hands and eyes are busy with work. Making a general sketch of the future picture, you, every moment, learn something new, experiment, learn, develop. In an inconspicuous plant or stump, you find true beauty, and with genuine pleasure you pounce on work. Captured by enthusiasm, as if by chance, you make small mistakes, so that later you can correct them with a light stroke or a quick stroke. Time passes imperceptibly, without a drop of fatigue or regret, and you would not want to spend it otherwise.

Have you ever asked yourself the question, what would humanity be like without art, what would a person deprived of the ability to create and create, what kind of world would we live in ...

Self-expression is one of the human needs, without which a full life is not possible.

Live, create, create, enjoy, catch every moment, love every day, and be happy!

You will also be interested in:

Love art, enjoy it, create ... because each of us is able to heal himself. Art therapy

Interesting in art (painting)

How great artists worked

Art exists not so much for its own sake, but for the benefit that it can bring to a person and society. Further, we will talk about the value of art, about the tasks that are solved with its help by a person and society.

Functions, or tasks, arts - these are the goals that art sets for itself in an explicit or implicit form, those values ​​that guide the artist when creating a work and which the viewer who perceives this work takes into account.

One of the methods Plato uses to define art is to investigate its origins. Since the origin is vague, Plato tentatively refers to the myth of Prometheus. During the initial distribution of various qualities by the gods, a person turned out to be deprived: he did not have warm fur and sharp claws. Then Prometheus, taking care of a homeless and naked man, stole fire from heaven for him, and Athena and Hephaestus had the art of making fabrics and forging iron.

This Greek myth makes it clear that "art" came into the world as a skill and as a means by which a person can satisfy his urgent needs when "nature" alone is not enough.

In the figurative picture of the origin of culture, art turns out to be equivalent to what a person adds to nature thanks to his mind in order to successfully fight for his existence. Nature, modified or processed by man for his convenience and well-being, is the beginning of art.

Of course, it is dangerous to tie art to human life and activity and demand from it an immediate and immediate practical return. And, nevertheless, it is clear that not so much pure aesthetic interest as the needs of man and society stimulate the constant development of art.

The interpretation of pleasure as the main value of art

The traditional philosophy of art has usually seen the value of art primarily in what it can deliver to a person. pleasure. Even from the point of view of common sense, G. Graham writes, the answer to the question: "What do we expect from art" begs the answer: pleasure, or pleasure, because most people, wanting to approve a book or film, say that they "liked" it. ". Some philosophers believe that the value of art necessary associated with pleasure or enjoyment, for, they argue, to say that a work is good is the same as to say that it is pleasant.

In the famous essay "On the Norm of Taste" D. Hume seeks to prove that the most important moment in art is its "pleasure", or the pleasure that we get from it. This pleasure belongs to our feelings, and not to the essence of art itself. Judgments about good and bad in art are not at all, according to Hume, real judgments, for a feeling does not refer to anything other than itself, and it is always real, whenever a person is aware of it. Because of this, the search for truly beautiful or truly ugly is just as fruitless as the claims to establish what is truly sweet and what is bitter. Aesthetic judgments speak of the taste of the spectator himself, and not of the object of his evaluation, although, Hume is forced to admit, some artistic preferences are so extravagant that they can be ignored.

If someone has a pretentious or undeveloped aesthetic taste, others have no reason to call such a taste ridiculous - it's just different. It follows, however, that the connection between art and pleasure is not necessary. To say that a work of art is good is not to say that every or even the majority of viewers should consider it so. This simple argument went unnoticed by either Hume or the entire traditional philosophy of art.

The pleasure of art cannot be equated with entertainment. The music of Wagner or Bach gives the listener pleasure, but it cannot be said that he listens to serious music in order to have fun. Pleasure and entertainment are in many ways different things, although in ordinary life they are often closely related. Not every object that gives pleasure is also entertaining. There are many more simple and affordable ways to have fun than visiting a conservatory or a ballet.

Art can entertain, but it must be admitted that high art entertains most people much less than so-called mass art. “The masses of moviegoers and magazine readers,” writes R. J. Collingwood, “cannot be elevated by offering them the aristocratic entertainments of past centuries. Usually this is called “bringing art to the people,” but this is a mousetrap: what is carried to the people is also entertainment, finely crafted by Shakespeare or otherwise for the amusement of an Elizabethan or Restoration audience, but now, for all the genius of the writers, these works are much less entertaining than Mickey Mouse cartoons and jazz concertos, unless the audience has been painstakingly prepared beforehand, allowing you to enjoy such works.

• Cm.: Graham G. Philosophy of art. S. 13.
• Collingwood R.J. The principles of art. S. 105.

Art is the suggestion of a certain system of thoughts and feelings, an almost hypnotic effect on the subconscious and on the entire human psyche. Often the work is literally mesmerizing. Suggestion (inspiring influence) was already inherent in primitive art. The Australian tribes on the night before the battle caused a surge of courage in themselves with songs and dances. The ancient Greek legend tells: the Spartans, exhausted by a long war, turned to the Athenians for help, they sent the lame and frail musician Tyrtaeus instead of reinforcements as a mockery. However, it turned out that this was the most effective help: Tirteus raised the morale of the Spartans with his songs, and they defeated the enemies.

Comprehending the experience of the artistic culture of his country, the Indian researcher K.K. Pandey argues that suggestion always dominates in art. The main effect of folklore charms, spells, laments is suggestion.

Gothic temple architecture inspires the viewer with awe of divine majesty.

The inspiring role of art is clearly manifested in marches designed to instill courage in the marching columns of fighters. In the "hour of courage" (Akhmatova) in the life of the people, the inspiring function of art takes on a particularly important role. So it was during the Great Patriotic War. One of the first foreign performers of Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony, Koussevitzky, remarked: "Since the time of Beethoven, there has not yet been a composer who could speak to the masses with such force of suggestion." The setting for inspiring influence is also inherent in the lyrics of this period. Such, for example, is Simonov's popular poem "Wait for me":

Wait for me and I will come back,

Just wait a lot.

Wait for sadness

yellow rain,

Wait for the snow to come

Wait when it's hot

Wait when others are not expected

Forgetting yesterday.

Wait when from distant places

Letters will not come

Wait until you get bored

To all who are waiting together.

In twelve lines, the word "wait" is repeated eight times like a spell. All the semantic meaning of this repetition, all its inspiring magic are formulated in the final of the poem:

Do not understand those who did not wait for them,

Like in the middle of a fire

Waiting for your

You saved me

(Simonov. 1979, p. 158).

It expresses a poetic thought that is important for millions of people separated by the war. The soldiers sent these poems home or carried them near their hearts in the pocket of their tunic. When Simonov expressed the same idea in a film script, the result was a mediocre work: the same topical theme sounded in it, but the magic of suggestion was lost.

I remember how Ehrenburg, in a conversation with students of the Literary Institute in 1945, expressed the opinion that the essence of poetry is in a spell. This, of course, is a narrowing of the possibilities of poetry. However, this is a characteristic delusion, dictated by an accurate sense of the trend in the development of military poetry, which strove for immediate effective intervention in spiritual life and therefore relied on folklore forms developed by the centuries-old artistic experience of the people, such as orders, vows, visions, dreams, conversations with the dead, appeals to rivers, cities. Vocabulary of spells, vows, blessings, anachronisms of ritual turns of speech are heard in the military verses of Tychina, Dolmatovsky, Isakovsky, Surkov. Thus, in a poetic style, the folk, domestic character of the war against the invaders was manifested.

Suggestion is a function of art that is close to educational, but does not coincide with it: education is a long process, suggestion is a one-time process. The suggestive function in tense periods of history plays a large, sometimes even leading role in the general system of the functions of art.

10. Specific function - aesthetic

(art as the formation of a creative spirit and value orientations)

So far, we have been talking about the functions of art, which “duplicated” by artistic means what other spheres of human activity (science, philosophy, futurology, pedagogy, mass media, hypnosis) do in their own way. Now we will talk about completely specific functions inherent only in art - aesthetic and hedonistic.

Even in antiquity, the importance of the aesthetic function of art was recognized. The Indian poet Kalidasa (approximately the 5th century) singled out four goals of art: to arouse the admiration of the gods; create images of the world and man; deliver high pleasure with the help of aesthetic feelings (rasas): comedy, love, compassion, fear, horror; serve as a source of pleasure, joy, happiness and beauty. The Indian scientist V. Bahadur believes that the purpose of art is to inspire, purify and ennoble a person, for this it must be beautiful (Bahadur. 1956, p. 17).

The aesthetic function is an irreplaceable specific ability of art:

1) to form artistic tastes, abilities and human needs. Before the artistically civilized consciousness, the world appears as aesthetically significant in each of its manifestations. Nature itself appears in the eyes of the poet as an aesthetic value, the universe acquires poetry, becomes a theatrical stage, a gallery, an artistic creation non finita (unfinished). Art gives people this sense of the aesthetic significance of the world;

2) value orientation of a person in the world (to build a value consciousness, teach to see life through the prism of imagery). Without value orientations, a person is even worse than without vision - he can neither understand how to relate to something, nor determine the priorities of activity, nor build a hierarchy of the phenomena of the world around him;

3) awaken the creative spirit of the individual, the desire and ability to create according to the laws of beauty. Art awakens the artist in a person. This is not at all about awakening a passion for amateur art, but about human activity, consistent with the internal measure of each object, that is, about mastering the world according to the laws of beauty. Making even purely utilitarian objects (a table, a chandelier, a car), a person cares about the benefits, convenience, and beauty. According to the laws of beauty, everything that a person produces is created. And he needs a sense of beauty.

Einstein noted the importance of art for spiritual life, and for the very process of scientific creativity. “Personally, works of art give me a feeling of supreme happiness. I draw such spiritual bliss from them, as in no other field ... If you ask who is of the greatest interest to me now, then I will answer: Dostoevsky! .. Dostoevsky gives me more than any scientific thinker, more than Gauss! » (See: Moshkovsky, 1922, p. 162).

To awaken an artist in a person who wants and knows how to create according to the laws of beauty - this goal of art will increase with the development of society.

The aesthetic function of art (the first essential function) ensures the socialization of the individual, forms his creative activity; pervades all other functions of art.

11. Specific function - hedonic

(art as pleasure)

Art gives people pleasure and creates an eye that can enjoy the beauty of colors and shapes, an ear that captures the harmony of sounds. The hedonistic function (the second essential function), like the aesthetic one, permeates all other functions of art. Even the ancient Greeks noted the special, spiritual nature of aesthetic pleasure and distinguished it from carnal pleasures.

Prerequisites for the hedonistic function of art (sources of enjoyment of a work of art): 1) the artist freely (= masterfully) owns the material of life and the means of its artistic development; art is a sphere of freedom, mastery of the aesthetic wealth of the world; freedom (= skill) is admirable and delightful; 2) the artist correlates all mastered phenomena with humanity, revealing their aesthetic value; 3) in a work, the harmonious unity of a perfect artistic form and content, artistic creativity gives people the joy of comprehending artistic truth and beauty; 4) artistic reality is ordered and built according to the laws of beauty; 5) the recipient feels an attachment to the impulses of inspiration, to the poet's work (the joy of co-creation); 6) there is a game aspect in artistic creativity (art models human activity in a game form); the play of free forces is yet another manifestation of freedom in art, which brings extraordinary joy. “The mood of the game is detachment and enthusiasm - sacred or simply festive, depending on whether the game is enlightenment or fun. The action itself is accompanied by feelings of uplift and tension and brings with it joy and relaxation. The sphere of play includes all methods of poetic formation: the metrical and rhythmic subdivision of spoken or sung speech, the exact use of rhyme and assonance, the masking of meaning, the skillful construction of a phrase. And the one who, following Paul Valery, calls poetry a game, a game in which words and speech are played, does not resort to metaphor, but grasps the deepest meaning of the very word “poetry” ”(Hizinga. 1991, p. 80).

The hedonistic function of art is based on the idea of ​​the inherent value of the individual. Art gives a person the disinterested joy of aesthetic pleasure. It is the self-valuable personality that is ultimately the most socially effective. In other words, the self-worth of a person is an essential aspect of its deep socialization, a factor of its creative activity.

It is important to take revenge that the idea that pleasure is the main and perhaps even the only goal of art is not at all supported by a tradition that goes back centuries. This idea aroused sharp and justified objections already in antiquity. Indeed, art often gives pleasure to the viewer. But the goals of art are very diverse, and they are much broader than mere pleasure, or enjoyment, even if we are talking about a rather obscure aesthetic pleasure.

Plato and Aristotle see the highest art of the ruler of the state in correctly using and regulating people's desire for pleasure.

Plato treats the pleasure that art brings with a certain caution. He stipulates that pleasure can serve as a criterion for various types of imitative art only if it is connected with reason and good. The aesthetic theory of Plato, as he himself notes, is "a doctrine that does not separate the pleasant from the just."

As for the value of art, according to Plato, there are certain works of imitative art that are devoid of any value and do not bring any benefit or benefit, except for the simple pleasure associated with them. But it is bad when any activity gives only pleasure. In this case, there is no criterion of importance or usefulness at all. Pleasure should never be taken as a criterion in determining the value of an action if there is any other criterion. Plato uses the word "fun" to refer to works of various kinds of imitative art, when their only positive quality is "harmless enjoyment".

Drama, music, and dancing are, like sophistry, says Plato, common forms of entertainment and amusements. Imitations, created by the means of painting and music exclusively for our pleasure, belong to the decorative side of life. Magic and conjurership is akin to painting.

Plato sharply contrasts these forms of entertainment and fun with forms of practical activity that are serious, important and useful - for example, the art of the doctor and statesman, based on scientific data and setting itself a reasonable and worthy, if not even a great, goal. Those who play the flute, lyre, or harp, whine, engage in poetry or rhetoric, only amuse people like children, and are not interested in their true well-being.

Moreover, such amusing imitations cause unreasonable pleasure. Pleasure, when it is not regulated by wisdom or good, says Plato, awakens, nourishes and strengthens the lower impulses of a person and at the same time undermines and destroys the higher ones. It turns our life into fun - swinging.

Indeed, the continuous search for pleasure not only bifurcates human life - like waves, we are constantly rising up and falling down - but they also create tension in it every minute. The sharp contrast between pleasure and pain, and the tension it evokes, is part of the pleasurable excitement of watching a tragedy. But it leads to inner discord. Hysteria may occur, and even the initial stage of insanity. Unaccountable delight or hysterical pleasure deprives the mind of the ability to evaluate things. The pleasures afforded by most of the arts are in conflict not only with reason and truth, but also with poise and self-control.

However, since the term "pleasure" has a broad meaning for Plato, its meaning depends on the occasion and in what connection it is used. So, in the dialogue "Laws" we are talking about music. Plato, through the mouth of an Athenian, declares that he recognizes pleasure as the criterion of music, but not all pleasure. And he explains: music is related to the human soul. Music created without regard for the moral character it reflects is, in fact, music without a soul. And if the essence of music is to reflect spiritual qualities, then its true value can be determined using the following moral and mental criterion: that music is good, which corresponds to a good character. The pleasure that good people experience will be the criterion for high quality music.

Plato illustrates his conclusion in a playful way with a clear example. To be fully convinced, he says, that the quality of art should be determined not by the pleasure experienced by just anyone or the majority of people, but by the pleasure experienced by the best people, let's imagine a competition to provide people with simple entertainment. The award should go to the person who best entertains the audience. An invitation to the feast will apparently attract the reader of Homer, the tragedian, the comedian, and there is nothing surprising if someone comes up with a puppet theater and begins to think that he has all the more data to win. When polled, young children will vote for puppet theater, teenagers for comedy, most people, including educated women and youth, probably for tragedy, the elderly, in all likelihood, will vote in favor of the performer of an epic work in the spirit of great traditions. Only one of all these groups can be right. Therefore, the decision depends on the qualifications of the groups themselves. The elderly are the most educated and have the noblest souls. Therefore, we must agree with their opinion.

The purpose of tragedy, so highly valued by Aristotle, lies in the peculiar pleasure that it delivers.

Like Plato, the study of the nature and value of pleasure is in Aristotle a necessary part of aesthetics. Thus, in an ideal state, says Aristotle, children should be taught to draw not only for utilitarian purposes, but also in order to make them cultural connoisseurs of the treasures of art and the best judges of human beauty. The musical education of the children of free citizens is determined in part by simple respect for their human dignity. Children should study music sufficiently to be able to judge it, but not so deeply as to perform publicly as performers for the entertainment of others. The dignity of these privileged children is associated in Aristotle, as in Plato, with their future position and their duties in the government of the city-state.

As regards the goal of art, it (or, what is the same, artistic creation) achieves its purpose with the help of imitation in those beautiful forms that it creates. It expresses the feelings of a person in accordance with a reasonable idea. This primary goal has a further goal - to have a certain impact on the audience. According to Aristotle, these functions are closely intertwined. The form created by the artist becomes a subject of pleasure for the receptive spectator, as well as an auxiliary tool for the statesman involved in education.

The energy invested in a play or song by the genius of the author generates a new energy - emotional activity in those who are receptive to beautiful forms.

Both Plato and Aristotle see the purpose of man in developing the divine principle inherent in him. Both of them, to a certain extent, identify this divine principle with reason. But Plato, with his more transcendent approach, is sometimes inclined to think that a life of pleasure becomes grossly sensual and a hindrance to the development of reason. Aristotle, on the other hand, believes that pleasure does not exist in itself, but as a stimulus or the main moment in solving the problem with which it is closely connected and from which it receives its ethical characteristics. The task itself, or the function, can be crude and unreasonable. But it is wrong to judge pleasure in general by its worst sources and manifestations. Only those who are familiar with the pleasure of abstract thought, listening to music and contemplating sculpture, understand what pleasure is at its best and in its very essence. Pleasure, which is essentially an ally of reason and nobility, may, of course, be entertainment associated with the basest motives. But in the general case, pleasure is a sign of the fulfillment of a person’s desire, a feeling of the fullness of life, and when these feelings correspond to a reasonable idea, then pleasure also has a reasonable basis. So when Aristotle says that the ultimate goal of tragedy is to please the audience, he clearly means that the state of mind they seek is reasonable and commendable.

The most elementary function of art - to satisfy the needs or alleviate the suffering of a person - is analogous to satisfying hunger with food. Sleep, food, drink and music "quiet worries". Art can not only fill the void in a person's soul and raise his energy, but also cleanse our souls from harmful scale. Aristotle calls this cleansing "catharsis" - the cleansing and relief associated with the viewer's experience of suffering, pity, enthusiasm and fear. It is catharsis that causes specific pleasure, which is especially pronounced in the case of tragedy.

Aristotle believes that the mechanism of such treatment (catharsis) is homeopathic: compassion is cured by compassion, fear by fear, etc. Thus, excessive compassion, which torments a person in real life, should disappear under the influence of new experiences that deplete a person’s strength, caused by a work of art (tragedy). Active, genuine compassion, embodied, for example, in Oedipus, acts on accidental unnecessary compassion, a consequence of excessive sensitivity, and cleanses it of harmful scale. An immature emotion will be transformed into a perfect entity. A reasonable explanation in tragedy of the causes of disasters that fall on a person calms a person, calms in him a senseless fear of possible troubles.

Everything that we do during our life is done, in the end, for the sake of pure, stable and calm enjoyment. It is this pleasure that brings philosophical reflection and well-spent leisure. Teenagers and rude people are unable to understand or experience it. The pleasure delivered by the fine arts, according to Aristotle, worries a person least of all, since its development is not associated with movement, as in musical and literary works. And yet, although the latter forms of art are more expressive, closer to the inner disposition of man, and therefore have a stronger influence on the souls of people, it may perhaps be recognized that the pleasure given by the contemplation of statues and portraits is more in line with the concept of divine pleasure. For the actions of the deity are not connected with movement. Divine pleasure is an activity without external changes or a passive state. Most of all, the mental activity of a person approaches this concept, and of the external senses, visual impressions, which are closest to the calm flow of thought. When Aristotle dwells on the example of an artist, comparing him with the divine creator of the universe, he chooses in this case not Sophocles, but the sculptor Phidias.

Thus, according to Aristotle, art achieves its goal when it gives pleasure, but this goal is not self-sufficient. Imitative arts are used for ethical and social purposes by rulers to educate citizens. The purpose of education is to teach people to love, hate and enjoy correctly. If the will of people is subordinated to the arguments of reason, then they will act properly voluntarily.

• Cm.: Payment. Laws. Book. II.
• Cm.: Aristotle. Politics, 1338c.
• Cm.: Aristotle. Politics, 1339a.