Aristotle s philosophy of art
Aristotle’s philosophy of art At Plato’s Academy, Aristotle had the reputation of being the “reader? ... he was profoundly influenced by Plato’s thought and personality even though eventually he was to break away from Plato’s philosophy in order to formulate his own version of certain philosophical problems. ... He even reaffirmed, in his Eudemus, the very doctrine so central to Plato’s thought, the doctrine of the Forms, or Ideas, which he later criticized so severely. Aristotle had a far more sympathetic interest in art than did Plato. For Plato, as for Aristotle, art was essentially a matter of imitation, an imitation of nature. What made Plato so contemptuous of some forms of art was his notion that a work of art is at least three steps removed from truth. ... Plato was particularly concerned with the cognitive aspect of art, feeling that it had the effect of distorting knowledge because it was removed several steps form reality. Aristotle, on the other hand believing that the universal Forms exist only in particular things, felt that the artist is dealing directly with the universal when he studies things and translates them into art forms.