460.01b order out of chaos aristotle

ORDER OUT OF CHAOSClassical Concepts in Art and Beauty

ARISTOTLE

Exemplars and Ethical Beauty: Order out of the Accidents of History and Nature

Laocoön

ARISTOTLE’S POIESIS: CREATIVE MAKING

It is clear, then, from what we have said that the poet must be a "maker" not of verses but of stories,

since he is a poet in virtue of his "representation," and what he represents is action. Even supposing he

represents what has actually happened, he is none the less a poet, for there is nothing to prevent some

actual occurrences being the sort of thing that would probably or inevitably happen, and it is in virtue of

that that he is their “maker."

—Aristotle, Poetics

CATEGORIES

Substantial Accidental

General

BeingBeing named

‘David’

Specific

Being Brave,

Creative, &

Wise

Being Human

Being a Warrior,

Poet, & King

portrayal

Depiction {

{ being David


Substantial Accidental

General

Having Hair

Specific

Being Brave

Being Human

Being a warrior with

Short Spiky

Hair

Su

bsta

nce


Dying Gaul

Substance

Accident

Accident


Donatello, Feast of Herod

Exemplar

History

History

…poetry is something more scientific and serious than history, because poetry tends to give general truths while history gives particular facts…. By a "general truth" I mean the sort of thing that a certain type of man will do or say either probably or

Ajax and Odysseus

Exemplar

History

History

What we have said already makes it further clear that a poet's object is not to tell what actually happened but what could an

Hercules killing Centaur Nessus

by Giambologna

The objects the imitator represents

are actions, with agents who are

necessarily either good men or

bad—the diversities of human

character being nearly always

derivative from this primary

distinction, since the line between

virtue and vice is one dividing the

whole of mankind. It follows,

therefore, that the agents

represented must be either above

our own level of goodness, or

beneath it, or just such as we are….

—Aristotle, Poetics Massacchio, Expulsion from the Garden of Eden

ARISTOTLE’S POIESIS: CHARACTERS

In respect of Character there are

four things to be aimed at. First, and

most important, it must be good.

Now any speech or action that

manifests moral purpose of any kind

will be expressive of character: the

character will be good if the purpose

is good.

—Aristotle, Poetics

Donatello, Penitent Magdalene


The second thing to aim at is propriety. There is a type of manly valor

… unscrupulous cleverness is inappropriate.

Brunelleschi, Sacrificeof Isaac


Ghiberti, Sacrificeof Isaac

Ghiberti, Sacrificeof Isaac Brunelleschi, Sacrificeof Isaac

Thirdly, character must be true to

life: for this is a distinct thing from

goodness and propriety, as here

described. The fourth point is

consistency: for though the

subject of the imitation, who

suggested the type, be

inconsistent, still he must be

consistently inconsistent.

Drunken Satyr or Barberini Faun


POIESIS: CHARACTERS

Character is that which reveals

choice, shows what sort of

thing a man chooses or avoids

in circumstances where the

choice is not obvious, so those

speeches convey no character

in which there is nothing

whatever which the speaker

chooses or avoids.

–Aristotle, Poetics

Dürer, Melancholia

ARISTOTLE’S EXEMPLARS

Exemplars are a form of depiction which may be composed of

an agglomeration of features from various individuals that

mimic the essential traits of the species and are free from

accidental defects that can mar individuals. For Aristotle,

beauty is exhibited in exemplars because they are more than

merely agglomerations of properties, but also exhibit an living

harmony which Aristotle called organic unity.


Rising Action

By "plot" I mean here the arrangement of the incidents…. All human happiness or misery takes the form of action; the end for

Falling Action

Climax

Reversal


Rising Action

The most important of these is the arrangement of the incidents, for tragedy is not a representation of men but of a piece of

Falling Action

Climax

Reversal

Leonardo, Last Supper

ARISTOTLE’S VIRTUOUS EXEMPLARSExemplars are not static but are about actions which reveal the

character of individuals and illustrate the excellences of a species,

or virtues. For Aristotle, virtues are excellences which lie between

two extremes called vices, just as courage lies between cowardice

and foolhardiness. When exemplars exhibit organic unity they are

beautiful and may evoke an emotional purging in the audience,

called catharsis.

Examples of virtuous exemplars can be found in basic human

actions such as laughing, crying, and struggling in figurative

paintings, sculptures, and drama. The Four Cardinal Virtues are

Wisdom, Courage, Temperance, and Justice and Aristotle (among

others) thought they were exemplary human virtues.

The defect corresponding to the

magnificent disposition is called

Paltriness, and the excess

Vulgarity.… The latter vices do

not exceed by spending too

great an amount on proper

objects, but by making a great

display on the wrong occasions

and in the wrong way.

The magnificent man is an

artist in expenditure: he can

discern what is suitable, and

spend great sums with good

taste.

–Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics

IV.4-5

Athena Parthenos Replica in Nashville

ARISTOTLE’S MAGNIFICENCE

REFLECTIONS

Are the added statues by Frederick Hart exemplary, in

Aristotle’s sense of the term?

Maya Lin describes a “journey” from looking up the name of

a loved one to finding it on the Memorial—how does this

compare to Aristotle’s concept of plot or catharsis?

How does the film compare to Aristotle’s concept of plot? Is

Maya Lin exemplary?

Education

460.01b order out of chaos aristotle