Table Of ContentAESTHETICS
LECTURES ON FINE ART
BY
G. W. F. HEGEL
Translated by T. M. Knox
VOLUME II
OXFORD
AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
1975
Oxford University Press, Ely House, London W. i
GLASGOW NEW YORK TORONTO MELBOURNE WELLINGTON
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© Oxford University Press 1975
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TRANSLATOR’S FOREWORD
TO VOLUME TWO
In this volume Hegel is surveying five different arts from his
philosophical point of view and supporting his argument by
numerous examples. Therefore it may be helpful to recall what
his attitude is to his own ‘speculative' thinking and the empiricism
adopted by the scientific intellect (or the Understanding). Nature,
history, art, religion, and even philosophy may all be studied as it
were on the surface. Scientists and historians may discern or try
to discern laws in all these fields, but their first task is to accumu
late a vast array of facts. This is something that must be done, but
it would all add up to a tale told by an idiot if it were not possible
to penetrate below the surface of fact, and even law, and discern
the truth or the Reason lying at the heart. Hegel believes that this
is the task of philosophy, but it must be given the facts first; it
cannot work a priori. Consequently, although this volume provides
facts in plenty, it really contains a philosophy rather than a history
of art. See the closing paragraphs of the Division of the Subject
which follows the Introduction here.
The lectures in this volume do depend here and there on the
work of art historians and critics, but the bulk of them rest on
Hegel’s own direct acquaintance with works of art. In a few foot
notes I have referred to his personal knowledge of buildings,
pictures, and operas. His letters to his wife when he travelled to
the Low Countries, Austria, and Paris testify to his devotion to
works of visual art and his eagerness to see them; he looked at
them with a fresh eye. Also he listened to opera with delight, and
he read poetry with care and insight.
Not all of his judgements, still less his speculative reasoning,
will command general assent. Novels seem to have little interest
for him—Scott he regarded as a recorder of trivialities instead of
great events, and the praise he lavishes on Hippel has amazed
German critics. Moreover he seems to me to have had little
understanding of what he calls ‘independent’ music. Neverthe
less, a reader who is interested in art must find fascinating this
survey of five arts, and he may even envy its comprehensiveness.
vi TRANSLATOR’S FOREWORD
Throughout, however, it is necessary to remember that Hegel
died in 1831.
In a set of lectures as long as this some repetition is not un
natural. This has led to some repetition in footnotes, but this may
be less irksome than more cross-references. Some notes in this
volume have benefited from corrections and suggestions by Mr.
T. J. Reed.
T. M. KNOX
Crieff, June 1973
CONTENTS OF VOLUME TWO
PART III. THE SYSTEM OF THE INDIVIDUAL
ARTS 613
INTRODUCTION 613
DIVISION OF THE SUBJECT 621
Section I. ARCHITECTURE 630
INTRODUCTION 630
Chapter I. INDEPENDENT OR SYMBOLIC ARCHI
TECTURE 635
1. Architectural Works Built for National Unification 638
2. Architectural Works wavering between Architecture and
Sculpture 640
(a) Phallic Columns 641
(fi) Obelisks etc. 642
(c) Egyptian Temples 644
3. Transition from Independent to Classical Architecture 648
(а) Indian and Egyptian Subterranean Buildings 648
(б) Housing for the Dead, Pyramids, etc. 650
(c) Transition to Architecture in the Service of some
Purpose 654
Chapter II. CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE 660
1. General Character of Classical Architecture 661
(a) Subservience to a Specific End 661
(Z>) The Building’s Fitness for its Purpose 661
(c) The House as the Fundamental Type 662
2. The Particular Determinants of the Architectural Forms 663
(a) Building in Wood and Stone 663
(A) The Specific Forms of the Temple 665
(c) The Classical Temple as a Whole 674
3. The Different Styles in Classical Architecture 676
(a) Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian Orders 676
(fi) The Roman Construction of Arch and Vault 680
(fi) General Character of Roman Architecture 682
viii CONTENTS
Chapter III. ROMANTIC ARCHITECTURE 684
1. General Character of Romantic Architecture 684
2. Particular Architectural Formations 685
(a) The Fully Enclosed House as the Fundamental Form 685
(5) The Form of the Exterior and the Interior 687
(c) Mode of Decorating 695
3. Different Styles in Romantic Architecture 697
(a) Romanesque (pre-Gothic) Architecture 697
(6) Gothic Architecture Proper 698
(c) Secular Architecture in the Middle Ages 698
Section II. SCULPTURE 701
INTRODUCTION 701
DIVISION OF THE SUBJECT 708
Chapter I. THE PRINCIPLE OF SCULPTURE PROPER 710
1. The Essential Content of Sculpture 710
2. The Beautiful Sculptural Form 713
(а) Exclusion of Particulars 716
(б) Exclusion of Mien 717
(c) Substantive Individuality 718
3. Sculpture as the Art of the Classical Ideal 718
Chapter II. THE IDEAL OF SCULPTURE 721
1. General Character of the Ideal Sculptural Form 723
2. Particular Aspects of the Ideal Form in Sculpture 727
(a) The Greek Profile 727
(b) Position and Movement of the Body 738
(e) Draping [or Clothing] 742
3. Individuality of the Ideal Sculptured Figures 750
(а) Attributes, Weapons, Adornment 752
(б) Differences of Age and Sex, and of Gods, Heroes, Men,
and Animals 756
(c) Portrayal of the Individual Gods 761
CONTENTS ix
Chapter III. THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF POR
TRAYAL AND MATERIAL AND THE HISTORI
CAL STAGES OF SCULPTURE’S DEVELOP
MENT 76s
1. Modes of Portrayal 765
(а) The Single Statue 766
(б) Groups 767
(c) Reliefs 771
2. Materials for Sculpture 771
(а) Wood 772
(б) Ivory, Gold, Bronze, and Marble 773
(c) Precious Stones and Glass 777
3. Historical Stages in the Development of Sculpture 778
(a) Egyptian Sculpture 779
(i>) Greek and Roman Sculpture 784
(c) Christian Sculpture 788
Section III. THE ROMANTIC ARTS 792
INTRODUCTION 792
Chapter I. PAINTING 797
INTRODUCTION 797
1. General Character of Painting 799
(a) The Chief Determinant of the Subject-matter 802
(b) The Sensuous Material of Painting 804
(c) Principle of the Artistic Treatment 811
2. Particular Characteristics of Painting 814
(a) The Romantic Subject-matter 814
(&) More Detailed Characterization of the Sensuous
Material of Painting 837
(c) The Artist’s Conception, Composition, and Charac
terization 850
3. Historical Development of Painting 869
(a) Byzantine Painting 871
(b) Italian Painting 872
(c) Flemish and German Painting 882
CONTENTS
Chapter II. MUSIC 888
INTRODUCTION AND DIVISION OF THE SUBJECT 888
1. General Character of Music 893
(a) Comparison with the Visual Arts and Poetry 893
(ft) Musical Treatment of the Subject-matter 901
(c) Effect of Music 904
2. Particular Characteristics of Music’s Means of Expression 910
(<z) Time, Bar, Rhythm 913
(b) Harmony 919
(c) Melody 929
3. Relation between Music’s Means of Expression and their
Content 933
(a) Music as an Accompaniment 937
(b) Independent Music 951
(c) The Execution of Musical Works of Art 955
Chapter III. POETRY 959
INTRODUCTION 959
A. THE POETIC WORK OF ART AS DISTINGUISHED FROM A
PROSE WORK OF ART 971
1. Poetic and Prosaic Treatment 972
2. The Poetic and the Prose Work of Art 979
3. The Poet’s Creative Activity 996
B. POETIC EXPRESSION IOOO
1. The Poetic Way of Imagining Things 1001
2. Poetic Diction 1007
3. Versification ion
(a) Rhythmic Versification 1014
(fi) Rhyme 1022
(c) Unification of Rhythmical Versification and Rhyme 1031
C. THE DIFFERENT GENRES OF POETRY IO35
Introduction and Division of the Subject 1035
CONTENTS xi
A. Epic Poetry 1040
1. General Character of Epic 1040
2. Particular Characteristics of Epic Proper 1050
(a) The General World-Situation of Epic 1051
(&) The Individual Epic Action 1062
(c) The Epic as a Fully Unified Whole 1077
3. The Historical Development of Epic Poetry 1093
(a) The Oriental Epic i°94
(b) The Classical Epic of Greece and Rome 1098
(c) The Romantic Epic 1100
b. Lyric Poetry mi
1. General Character of Lyric 1113
2. Particular Aspects of Lyric Poetry 1128
(a) The Lyric Poet 1129
(b) The Lyrical Work of Art 1132
(c) The Kinds of Lyric Proper 1138
3. Historical Development of Lyric 1147
c. Dramatic Poetry 1158
1. The Drama as a Poetical Work of Art 1158
(a) The Principle of Dramatic Poetry 1159
(b) The Dramatic Work of Art 1164
(c) Relation of the Dramatic Work of Art to the Public 1174
2. The External Execution of a Dramatic Work of Art 1181
(а) Reading Dramas and Reciting them 1182
(б) The Actor’s Art 1185
(c) The Art of the Theatre mote Independently of Poetry 1190
3. The Genres of Dramatic Poetry and the Chief Features it has
had in History 1192
(а) The Principle of Tragedy, Comedy, and Drama 1193
(б) Difference between Ancient and Modem Dramatic
Poetry 1205
(c) The Concrete Development of Dramatic Poetry and
its Genres . 1208
INDEX 1239
