Plato, Art and Idolatry - Jacob Hamilton
In my last post I touched on briefly why Plato might have been suspicious of art. I think Plato’s suspicion of art, also undergirds the concept of idolatry found in many religions. An idol distracts and takes one’s attention away from the real thing. Furthermore, an idol can often be a distortion of the real object. In Plato’s image of the cave the shadows on the wall the prisoners watch are not only images of something real, but distortions. An Idol is not only a distraction but can also be misleading.
However, must art always be idolatrous? There is a Taoist parable about people coming to focus on the finger which points to the moon rather than the moon itself. While the finger that points to the moon can be a distraction, it can also be of aid in directing one’s attention to the moon. Gerardus Van Der Leeuw makes the point that art ought to point beyond itself. Art, for Van Der Leeuw, should be like the finger which correctly orients one’s gaze to look upon the moon in its full splendor.
I think Plato was trying to produce art that points beyond itself. While it may be the common view that Plato is anti-art, it is important to recognize that his dialogues take the form of poetry. In composing dialogues, Plato is perhaps trying to produce a work of art that properly orients the reader to what is real.
Comments
Post a Comment