Work of art (chapter)

Sartre considers the question of the perception of art, he refers to it as surreal. The concept is that the recipient is immersed in a state of "imagining" when he perceives an object of art. The philosopher indicates that physical presence is real in the context of art (canvas, soil, paint strokes, etc.), that "does not require effort to affirm its reality." While the image, which consists of colorful spots on the canvas, is surreal. S. explains this by the example of the fact that when lighting a picture with a lamp, we are unable to illuminate the depicted object. We cannot influence it as a real object. An artist cannot realize the image he imagines in an object of art; he tries to “objectify” it.

“Imaginary” on the example of painting

Turning to the painting of Henri Matisse , Sartre derives two types of pleasure “sensual” and “real”. By “sensual” the philosopher means the pleasure received during the contemplation of a certain manner of writing by the artist, the form of the objects depicted, the derived color gamut and their ensemble, etc. However, this experience is not considered as aesthetic, only as a pleasure of feelings. “Real” pleasure, in turn, is comprehended only when the recipient is in a state of contemplation and imagination of surreal objects. As for the “Aesthetic pleasure”, Sartre says that it is real, but arrives in a state incomprehensible to himself.

“Imaginary” as an example of drama

In this matter, Sartre refers to examples of literature and dramaturgy. The actor, working on the role, tries to realize the character through an analogue (so we perceive the actor’s tears as the tears of the hero of the play). However, the actor is in a surreal mode, trying to realize the invented image of the hero of the work through his interpretation of the performance, on the contrary, he realizes himself in this action. “Not a character is realized in an actor, but an actor is realized in his character”

“Imaginary” as an example of a symphony

"The same musical melody does not refer to anything but itself." Using the example of Beethoven ’s seventh symphony, Sartre demonstrates that music exists outside of time, which makes it surreal. In addition, music appears as a constant absence or continuous presence. However, its appearance is caused by reality. In this regard, Sartre says that it is difficult for a person to break out of his imaginary (perception of music or contemplation, be it a play or any work of art), since at this moment the recipient is transferred from an imaginary position to a real one.

“Aesthetic contemplation is a provoked dream, but the transition to reality is a genuine awakening”

“Already from these few remarks we can conclude that the real is never beautiful. Beauty is a value that is applicable only to the imaginary and contains in its essential structure the nonantization of the world. ”