Art In Schopenhauer's Philosophy

Ines Platten
14.12.14
The role of art in Schopenhauer's philosophy

Schopenhauer's philosophy is primarily based on and influenced by Buddhism, which can be seen by the way he discusses the cycle of desire and suffering which is based off of the Buddhist principle that desire causes all suffering and that complete liberation is only achieved via eliminating desire. This creates the concept of the Will. The Will is the principle tenet in Schopenhauer's philosophy. Schopenhauer professes that the Will is essentially the most fundamental part of all life, that the cycle of desire and satisfaction is what determines our well-being and suffering. Schopenhauer teaches that the boundaries of restless desire can only be transcended by art due

Music is also immaterial, it is solely an auditory experience which makes it the most important art form for Schopenhauer.
Poetry follows music as the second most important art form in the light fact that it uses literary devices to enhance the experience and obtain satisfaction. Like music, it is also immaterial however, it can never eclipse the confines of words and therefore is trapped in language, which is a concept later explored by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.
Art in form of paintings is the most important art form next to music and poetry. Its materialism restricts it because the experience is only visual which renders it more difficult to immerse the spectator into the quintessence of the painting, however, like music and poetry it can capture the essence of various objects. For example, Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring captures the essence of "woman", however, it is not until after Nietzsche's philosophy that art can capture abstract concepts or emotions, which would have most probably raised its place in his hierarchy of art forms. Rothko's abstract paintings are a perfect example of how paintings can portray an abstract concept without depicting objects. Rothko was also a prime example of a Schopenhauerian genius in the sense that he completely disregarded whatever rules there were for painting and immersed himself into his art. In the words of Schopenhauer, "Only through pure contemplation...which becomes absorbed entirely in the object, are the ideas