The Philosophy of Fine Art Volume 4

The Philosophy of Fine Art Volume 4 by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Hegel develops his account of art as a mode of absolute spirit that he calls "the beautiful ideal," which he defines most generally as Now when truth in this its external existence [Dasein] is present to consciousness immediately, and with the concept remains immediately in unity with its external appearance, the Idea is not only true but beautiful. Beauty is determined as the sensible shining of the Idea.

This ideal is developed throughout the Lectures accordance Hegel's Logic:

The first universal part is devoted to the concept of the artistic ideal.

The second particular part examines this ideal as it actualizes itself in three stages:

Symbolic art, understood to encompass everything before Classical Greek art Classical art Romantic art, understood to emerge with the advent of Christianity on the world stage


The third singular part concerns itself with an examination of each of the five major arts in ascending order of "inwardness": architecture sculpture painting music poetry In these second two parts of the Lectures, Hegel documents the development of art from the paradigmatically symbolic architecture to the paradigmatically classical sculpture to the romantic arts of painting, music, and poetry. At the time it was noted for the wealth of pictures included with it. Contrary to once-common belief, Hegel nowhere declares art to be "dead." What he says, in a representative statement is, "For us art counts no longer as the highest mode in which truth procures existence for itself." He speaks frequently of its "dissolution" [Auflösung], not its end [Ende], despite Hotho's use of the latter for the heading of the final moment of the Romantic art form.