In today's murky attempts to define art we see countless articles
entitled "Is this Art?" or "What is Art?" Overlooked and forgotten
is the definition of art simply provided by perhaps the founder of
Western Civilization: Socrates. It is clearly stated in one of
Plato's earliest Dialogues ION. In it, Socrates playfully questions
an arrogant young actor, who claims all the credit for his
achievement citing his skills. Socrates, instead, suggests that he
is chosen as a channel (one of a chain of "divine" messengers) to
deliver with force the message which came first to and through the
poet (Homer), the first in the chain.
The listener (audience) is the last in the chain, who becomes a
messenger himself to take the message out into the world. Socrates
is defining art as a process, whose origins and ultimate purpose is
"divine." It is often overlooked by actors, who are urged to read
Aristotle's The Poetics, a how-to manual for wannabe actors, for
its oversimplified "step 1-2-3" which sometimes leaves the field of
drama saturated with uninspired and uninspiring aspirants. In the
end, it provides an empty set of exercises side-stepping the real
nature of art, which is essentially mysterious and religious.
Author William E. Bray provides for the reader an introduction
to the Socratic definition of art, a simple test for determining
what art is, an introduction to and adaptation of Plato's Dialogue
ION and 12 of his reviews of movies which provide "food for the
soul." He brings ION, often neglected and ignored, up to date.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
