The mimetic orientation , the explanation of art as essentially an
imitation of aspects of the universe , was probably the most primitive
aesthetic theory .
Plato and Aristotle tackled the term as a main part in the whole of
their philosophical and critical approach of the human life . Both of
them have one essence , one aim , and completely different
conclusions .
Although Aristotle was the faithful student of Plato , and although
Aristotle found in his tutor's philosophy the master influence of his
life . It was impossible that such a powerful mind should accept
negatively all his doctorial . It seems that he rebelled to his master
and dedicated a theory which may approach competency.
Plato is a thinker , a critic ,a philosopher , and a teacher who worked
towards the establishment of an ideal community . He was a powerful
Unitarian mind in the ideal republic and the modality of the laws .
Aristotle was no mere barren critical , he was a philosopher mind who
puts forward views of his own and , with studying the methods of the
great poets , drawing conclusions from them .
Both of them have one essence, art is imitation. For Aristotle, art is
imitation , since man learns by imitation, so imitation is instinctive in
man . It is an innate gift "to imitate is instinctive in man from his
infancy. By this he is distinguished from others, and that he is of all
the most imitative and through this instinct he receives his earliest
education."
with Plato, art is imitation too, but on the contrary of Aristotle,
it is not innate, it is a contemporary inspiration. It is what a man
does when he is not in his right mind but when he is in a state
of frenzy or ecstasy. The poet does not possess his tools, he is
a passive tool in the hands of great essence. With asserting the
idea of touch stone, the poet is under the power of non-rational
inspiration.
"The gift which you possess is not an art, but an
inspiration. There is a divinity moving you, like that contained
in the stone that Euripides calls a magnet."
With Aristotle, we must discover the meaning attached to
imitation as an aesthetic term. To imitate is an innate gift.
Henceforth, charged with a new meaning. It is a literal copy ,
a refashioning of the world of experience. The poet draw
material from the world around him and makes something new
out of it. Thus the clue to Aristotle thought is to be found in
the assertion that poetry is an expression of the universal, that
is the universal element in the human life.
But the difference between the way the term functions in
Plato and Aristotle distinguishes radically their consideration.
In the poetics as in the platonic dialogue, the term implies that
the work of art is constructed according to prior models in the
nature of things. We see that Plato in his application of the idea
of imitation operates with three realms. The first is the realm
of eternal and unchanging ideas. The second is the world of
senses, natural or artificial. The third comprises such things as
shadow images in water and mirrors of fine arts
Well then here are three beds one existing in nature which is
made by god there is another one which is the work of a
carpenter and the work of the painter is a third
While Aristotle dismisses the realm of eternal ideas and admits
two levels 1- the world of senses 2- the world of art but Plato
resumed that if a craftsman copies an eternal model his work
will be good it will not be so good but its sure useful to
humanity with Plato the good type of a craftsman is a carpenter
who makes an actual useful bed taking for his model the real
bed the bad type is of the painter who take the carpenters model
and produces only appearance of a thing which itself is not
wholly real an image of an image "he is thrice removed from
the king and from the truth"
Furthermore since the realm of ideas is the ultimate focus not
only of reality but of value the determination that art is at
second remove from truth automatically establish its equal
remoteness from the beautiful and good that because Plato
Was judging everything form ivory tower of idealism absult
virtue absolute beauty and absolute truth so with every other
concrete thing tables bed chairs or houses etc each of them has
its idea it’s the same with the abstracts like beauty virtue justice
and truth we only recognize the universal from the universal
idea of it but with Aristotle art imitates
imitation is exclusion to art.
the universal so
Art doesn’t compete with other activity >history or
philosophy>thus art given its independence and has a unique function
but Plato art is inferior to history and philosophy because they
complete to reach the realm of eternals and they imitate the universal
>Plato rejected art as irrational coward illusion and useless while
Aristotle placed it as the best of the human activity>these different
conclusion were built on the consequence of art which completely
different with Plato and Aristotle >Plato saw that the poet is
completely unable to elevate themselves to deal with absolute values
>they concentration on inferior part of the emotion>since the poets
potentiality for doing harm seem to him so great>especially by reason
of the seduction charm of what he writes<poetry feed and water the
passion instead of drying them up >so he must exclude him from his
ideal republic< he will allow entry to lyrical poet who will sing in
praise of God only<but with Aristotle tragedy cannot be fully defined
without taking into account its proper effect on the audience the
achievement of the specifically tragic pleasure which is that of pity
and fear mainly the catharsis or purgation or purification which
enable the audience to leave the theater calm of mind<all passion
spent< it communicate a special insight it yields an aesthetic
satisfaction><thus no wonder why? Plato placed art as trivial harmful
and useless while Aristotle asserted that its true _serious and useful
><Plato and Aristotle also didn’t agree with each other on the
importance of imitation in the educational purposes.
PLATO
ARISTOTAL
ART IS CONTEMPORARY Art is innate gift , instinct in man
INSPIRATION
Shadow of life
Refashion with new meaning
Impersonation
Idealization , expression
Concentrate on lower Parts
Concentrate on higher parts
Seductive charm 'doesn't suit Catharsis of pity and fear.
education'
Moral &spiritual
Realm of senses
Real of eternal ideas
Imitate individual subject in the Imitate universal elements
world of senses.
Inferior, useless , harmful ,
Superior , true , serious , useful
For Plato poetry isn't serviceable to youth who are to be educated
philosophically . they are unable to judge what opinions her reciery at
such an age are generally immovable . it doesn't regard juvenile but on
aged habit of soul. For young person can not judge what is allegorical
and what is literal . but for Aristotle , art is mainly moral and spiritual
, human learn through art . but art should give pleasure ,finally man
learns through pleasurable art.
And where Plato asserts that the worth of poetry should be judged by
the truth to lete achieved by the imitate ion not by pleasure it giving .
Aristotle argues that correct imitation is in itself a source of pleasure.
Where Plato asserts that the object of imitation must be beautiful,
Aristotle argues that of ugly things is capable of possessing beauty.
Finally , we can conclude that both Plato and Aristotle had one aim ,
that's the release of human being since emotion is often the centre of
pain , one of them , mainly Aristotle went directly to words the centre
of pain , trying to release it completely by pressing on it to burst and
leads to purgation while the other preferred peaceful ways , to go a
way from they weak part , to elevate on it , to line in ideal world which
can not be reached by common human beings . that's why Plato was
called idealistic. Idealism is proved to be only a slog one in our earthly
life . for from reaching
-Rhyming verse
- wit
- organic unity
- poetic language
- unities and income models
- poetic justice
- epic poetry
- propriety and decorum
Imitation , mimesis, representation, idealization, counterfeiting, copy,
image, and expression, these are some of the tins which illustrate
,concept of all over . The poetic orientation the explanation of art as
essentially an imitation of aspect of the universe was probably the most
primitive aesthetic theory.