Summary:
This essay explores the core contributions of the two philosophers in the field of philosophy of art, from Kant's framework of transcendental reason to Heidegger's ontological turn to reveal the truth of art. The article first outlines how Kant's transcendental reason legislates art, the role of the genius spirit in the edifice of reason, and how to reconcile experience and the transcendental, and then, through Heidegger's reflection, suspends Kant's artistic empiricality, inherits the transcendental turn to "being", dissects truth", and explores the integration of "truth" and "genius" spirit.
I. Introduction
In the long history of art philosophy, the names of Immanus Kant and Martin Heidegger are undoubtedly two bright stars, who shine in the sky of philosophy and art theory with their unique artistic views. Kant, as a philosophical giant of the Age of Enlightenment, laid the cornerstone of modern rationalism with his critical philosophical system, and art occupies a place in its vast structure, legislating for art through transcendental reason, emphasizing the role of genius in artistic creation, and having a profound impact on the philosophy of art.
Heidegger, an existentialist philosopher in the 20th century, re-examined art from his unique ontological perspective, reflected on Kant's rational framework, brought art into the vast field of "being", and redefined the essence of art in depth, which played a role in promoting the development of modern art philosophy, especially leaving indelible traces in postmodernism and postmodern art theory.
II. Kant's Philosophy of Art: The Construction of Transcendental Reason
A. Transcendental Reason and Art Legislation
In Kant's philosophy of art, transcendental rationality is the core principle of art legislation and the cornerstone of understanding artistic creation and appreciation. He advocated that art is the harmony and unity of reason and sensibility, and that works of art embody universality through intellectual principles and become the expression of communicative subjectivity.
A priori principle, i.e., the universal validity of art does not derive from acquired sensory experience, but is a norm set by the innate judgment of reason, and thus artistic creation follows rational principles, such as proportion, harmony, etc., to legislate for art. This kind of legislation makes artistic creation not only originate from individual inspiration, but also follow reason, so that works of art can be universally communicated and become a spiritual wealth shared by society.
B. The Edifice of Genius Spirit and Reason
The concept of "genius" in Kant's philosophy is of great importance in art, it is a special driving force for artistic creation, a bridge between the intellectual and the sensible in the edifice of reason. Genius is not simply a gift, but a perfect combination of reason and sensibility, in which the artist freely applies the laws of reason and is not subject to the laws, but can embody the laws and create novelty.
The works of genius seem to be original, but in fact they conform to the principles of transcendental reason, which makes the edifice of reason stable. The artist's creation is like that of an architect, and the genius is free to play in the edifice of intellectuality, constructing reason, making the work of art both novel and universal, reflecting the harmony and unity of the edifice of reason.
C. Commonality of experience and a priori
In Kant's philosophy of art, experience and transcendental are reconciled, and the unity of universality and individuality of art is realized through a sense of commonality. Transcendental sense is the innate condition of the subject, the way of feeling shared by art appreciators, and the innate stipulation of the laws of experience and reason, which enables a work of art to be understood.
Experience is individual, but through a sense of commonality, the universality of the work of art is conveyed, so that individual experience transcends and achieves rational universal resonance. The sense of commonality makes art possible, the individual experience is in harmony with the laws of reason, the universality of the work of art is connected with the individuality, and art realizes the integration of the transcendental and the empirical in Kant's philosophy.
III. Heidegger's Reflection and Transcendence in Art
A. The finite nature of the suspension experience
Heidegger critically examines Kant's view of art, arguing that Kant overemphasizes reason and innate conditions, and ignores the individuality of artistic experience and the richness of the life world. Heidegger pointed out that the limitation of the subject's experience in Kant's theory of art lies in the failure to fully demonstrate the uniqueness and situationality of art as a living being, and its vivid expression in the individual life world.
Heidegger introduces the problem of existence and emphasizes that art should be a way for the being to participate in the world, rather than a product of the rational framework alone, thus revealing the finite nature of artistic experience, the individuality and the contextualization of art.
B. Inheritance and transcendence of the transcendental "spirit".
Heidegger did not completely reject Kant's artistic rationalism, he inherited Kant's emphasis on the rational spirit in art, but went beyond purely transcendental rationalism and turned to the ontological "being". He sees art as the living act of the being, and the creation of art is the way in which the being reveals the truth.
Heidegger's transcendence lies in the liberation of Kant's "spirit" from transcendental reason and the introduction of "being", where art is no longer the expression of pure reason, but the way of being of beings, the revelation of the "truth" of beings in art.
C. Unmasking and Existence of Truthfulness
Heidegger analyzes the "truth" in art through the concept of "unmasking", revealing how art relates to being. He believes that the work of art, like the world, is originally "Gestellen" in a state of obscureness, and the task of art is to unmask and allow the existence of the being (Sein-der-Welt) to manifest itself.
Heidegger's "unmasking" means that art is not a rational revelation, but a revelation of the being's existence itself, and that artistic creation and appreciation is the process of the being's understanding of being, the revelation of truth. The truth of art is not something that can be said by reason, but the manifestation of existence itself in art, and the "truth" of the existent in art is connected with existence, and art becomes the revelation of ontology, rather than the expression of reason.
IV. The "Truth" and "Genius" of Art
A. Fusion of Truth and Ideas
In the philosophies of art of Kant and Heidegger, the fusion of "truth" and "genius" and ideas forms a special field of artistic understanding. Kant believed that the genius of art, as a perfect combination of reason and sensibility, is the intuition of ideas, and the work of art expresses ideas through genius and becomes universally understandable beauty.
Heidegger, on the other hand, starts from ontology, and regards "truth" as a way to reveal existence in art, and genius "is the revealer of this ineffable truth in art, allowing being to reveal itself through artistic acts." In both philosophies, "truth" and "genius" are closely linked to the idea, the work of art is the manifestation of the idea or being, and the genius acts as the ineffable revealist of the artist, merging art with the idea or being.
B. The existence of "truth".
In art, "truth", as an ineffable part of "genius", is embodied in the depth and uniqueness of art. In Kant's philosophy, genius conveys universal ideas through works of art, and ineffable "truths" are embodied in the universality of works, the universal communication ability of art.
Heidegger, on the other hand, believes that "truth" is the revelation of the being, and genius "as the ineffable in art, is the direct revelation of being by the being, and the inexpressibility of truth in art, that is, the depth of art, the ineffable truth is embodied in the unique existence of the work of art, the ineffable creation of the artist."
C. The transcendental nature of the spirit of "genius".
"Genius" becomes the intersection of transcendental and empirical in art, showing the depth of subjectivity. Kant's genius spirit, as a perfect combination of reason and sensibility, is a transcendental product, which is both the innate law of reason and the creation of experience, the genius spirit is the combination of transcendental reason and experience, and the subjectivity is manifested as the combination of the universal and the individual in artistic creation.
Heidegger's "genius" is the way of existence of the being in the world in art, the "genius" of the artist reveals the existence as the being, the act of art is the combination of transcendental and experience, the subjectivity is embodied in the living artistic behavior of the being, and art is the embodiment of subjectivity and transcendentality in art, showing the depth of art and the artistic creation of the subjectivity of the being.
V. Commonality of experience and a priori
A. Transmission of synesthesia
In art appreciation, synesthesia, as a special innate ability, plays a key role, which transmits a priori concrete forms and makes them an organic part of experience. Kant proposed for the first time that synesthesia, as the universal basis of appreciation, is a priori, which allows different individuals to transcend the limitations of purely personal experience and share the universal value of art.
This kind of transmission is through the intuitive feeling of the work of art, allowing the connoisseur to indirectly experience the universal idea or Heidegger's "truth" conveyed by the artist through genius, which makes existence. The sense of commonality enables the experience of art to transcend individual differences, realize the commonality of experience and transcendental, and the artwork becomes a bridge between the universal experience and the individual experience between the subjects.
B. Transcendental and Subjectivity
The subjectivity and the ineffable "genius" part of transcendental coexistence in art show the deep interaction between artistic creation and appreciation. In Kant's framework, subjectivity is the harmony of reason and sensibility in genius, and subjectivity is embodied in the universal works created by the artist, which is the genius of the fusion of reason and sensibility, subjectivity conveys universal ideas through works, and subjectivity enables the connoisseur to understand through synesthesia.
And Heidegger's subjectivity, art as a mode of being, the subjectivity of the artist reveals existence in artistic creation, subjectivity is the existence of the being in the world, the expression in art, subjectivity and the ineffable genius of transcendental "partial coexistence, is the revelation of subjectivity to existence in art, the subjectivity of the artist shows the ineffable "truth", subjectivity in art and the revelation of existence, subjectivity and a priori unspeakable genius "coexist, subjectivity shows the depth of subject and existence in art.
The indescribable coexistence of subjectivity and transcendental "genius" in art embodies the revelation of the subjectivity and transcendental nature of art in art, is the in-depth embodiment of the interaction between subjectivity in art creation and appreciation, and shows the intrinsic connection between subjectivity and existentialism in art.
VI. Conclusion
Through comparative analysis, we can clearly see that Kant and Heidegger have made unique and complementary contributions in the field of philosophy of art. With his position of transcendental rationality, Kant legislated for art, based artistic creation and appreciation on the universality of reason and genius, emphasized the harmony and unity of rationality and sensibility in art, and provided a theoretical basis for artistic creation and appreciation.
Heidegger, on the other hand, transcends Kant's transcendental framework through an existential perspective, and understands art as a way for existence to reveal truth, and the "truth" in art as an ineffable part of "genius" emphasizes the central role of subjectivity in artistic creation and existence, redefines the essence of art, and opens a new path of artistic understanding.
Author: Lu Xilin
Bibliography:
Immanuel Kant's Critique of Judgment
Heidegger, Being and Time
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