Essence and appointment of art in aesthetic learning by G. Hegel

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the problem of essence and art appointment in aesthetic by G.V.F. Hegel. It was found out the main intentions of aesthetic searches by the German philosopher in connection were connected with the “problem of a primary source”. The aim and essence of art have been studied out in correlation to spirit philosophy and to philosophy of thinker’s history.

It is underlined the ontological principles of art as the subject of investigation. It is emphasized that in aesthetic lectures G. Hegel tried to understand the essence and nature of art beyond measures of his system (principles of which were known already to readers and visitors of his lectures, including the place of aesthetic problematic), tried to build them in a such way to remind an experimental search of general understanding on the base of historical facts and philosophical thinking. Art, for Hegel, also gives expression to spirit's understanding of itself. It differs from philosophy and religion, however, by expressing spirit's self-understanding not in pure concepts, or in the images of faith, but in and through objects that have been specifically made for this purpose by human beings. Such objects – conjured out of stone, wood, color, sound or words – render the freedom of spirit visible or audible to an audience. The attention is focused on the point that the main purpose of art is not the imitation of nature or embellishment of the world but it is a bridge between pure thought and material existence, the way where spirit itself appears outside, this is the sensual form of freedom, self expression and self cognition, inheritance of absolute spirit.