Expanding Nietzsche's Theory of ArtA Story by penhiveThis is an enlargement of Nietzsche's theory of ArtThe philosopher Nietzsche said: art occurs as a
synthesis of the Dionysian and the Apollonian elements The Dionysian aspects
are beat and rhythm and the Apollonian aspects are melody and harmony. This article seeks to explicate how Nietzsche’s theory
works in art, literature, painting and music. In music the Apollonian elements are melody and
harmony and the Dionysian elements are rhythm and beat. Music the highest form
of art synthesizes the Dionysian and the Apollonian elements. Music is the art
of the soul. Music renders passion to the ears. In classical music, the
Apollonian elements are more marked. In rock music and blues, it is the
convergence of the Dionysian elements. In rap music also the Dionysian elements
merge. Now let’s examine how Nietzsche’s theory of art works
in literature. What is Literature? Literature is the music of words. How does
this music occur? What the Dionysian things present in Literature? The
Dionysian elements are the ego and the body of the writer and it is from which
the Dionysian elements emerge. The Apollonian elements are the structure, form
and texture of the work. The form, texture and the structure of the work become
the melody. Now let’s look at various stages, or various periods of work
through which literature has passed. The first is classism. Classism is work of
art which mimetic in nature. Art in classism the resemblance of nature. Now
let’s look at the romantic period of literature. Art in the romantic period is
marked by spontaneous feeling and heightened emotion. Romantic art is an allegory
of an existing fable. Now let’s look at the surrealist period of literature.
Surrealist literature focuses the subconscious and the inner workings of the
mind. Now let’s look at postmodern literature. Post-modern literature is
characterized by allusion, reflexivity, meta-theorizing, and also by an
unreliable narrator. The Dionysian elements of literature are the form, body
and the ego of the writer and the Apollonian elements are the rhythmic outplay
of form, texture and content. Now let’s examine how Nietzsche’s theory of art works
in painting. The Dionysian elements of art are the consciousness of the artist
and also the palette and the brush. The Dionysian elements are the product of a
finished work of art. Art has gone through various periods and they are
classicism, romanticism, expressionism, impressionism, surrealism, cubism and
pop art. Art during the classical period showed the outcomings of mimesis. Art
was a resemblance of nature. Art during the romantic period was marked by the
passion of overflowing feeling. Art during the expressionistic phase was
characterized by expression of feelings like Munch’s scream. Surrealism in art
sought to uncover the forces working in dream and reality. Dali’s persistence
of memory is a unique representation of surrealist art. The Cubism of Picasso
was the positioning of art objects in abstract dimensional patterns. Pop art
brought about the depictions of natural objects and disarmed them into cultural
and aesthetic concoctions. To conclude I would like to say that Nietzsche’s
theory of art is the merger of the Dionysian and the Apollonian. The Dionysian
elements are rhythm and beat and the Apollonian elements are melody and harmony © 2021 penhive |
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Added on April 22, 2021 Last Updated on April 22, 2021 Tags: Nietzsche, Nietzsche's theory of art, Literature, Literary theory, Postmodernism, Poststructuralism, Dionysian, Apollonian, Melody, Harmony, Beat, Rhythm AuthorpenhivePathnamthitta, Kerala, IndiaAboutI am a Hellenic Philistine, an existential nihilist, a postmodern enthusiast, and I ontologize my being into religions of Christianity and Judaism with the being of an apologist. more..Writing
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