Katharsis

In chapter 2 of Freeland’s book we were introduced to several great thinkers’ perspectives on art and art theory. From Plato’s ideas to the gardens’ of kings, everyone has their own thoughts on what constitutes art and why it affects us the way it does. The philosopher I related the most to in this chapter was Aristotle. His description of the cathartic experience involved with art describes almost exactly how I feel about the artistic process and experience. Plato’s ideas about Forms and Ideas are interesting, and exciting to study but I feel that regardless of the fact that art may simply be an imitation, it is no less real than the reality we each create every day. Human emotion may just be the only truly ‘real’ thing in this world and art evokes it, therefore art itself must be real. Aristotle’s discussions of the Greek Tragedy and the feelings the audience undergoes over the course of the play really struck me. Why is it that something we all know is fabricated can make us feel everything the characters feel? We form emotional attachments to the characters; we worry about them, we are sad when they perish and we cry when they are hurt. Plato says that art is thrice detached from reality, so it shouldn’t affect us. On the contrary, Aristotle argues that the way art imitates our realities help us learn and grow. Watching a tragedy and going through such a wide range of emotions will lead to a katharsis. This is especially true of the performing arts and music, yet the cathartic experience is also present in the entirety of the artistic process. As a sculptor creates his masterpiece, he too experiences a wide range of emotions including frustration, love, despair, tranquility, and in some cases perhaps heartache or remorse. The completion of the piece brings about katharsis, but only does so due to the range of emotions the artist goes through during the creative process. In a similar manner, the tragedy takes us on that path to katharsis. Art helps us have these feelings and cleanse ourselves of them, even though we know the sculpture and the characters aren’t actually in themselves ‘real.’ I am a classically trained singer, so singing is my art and my path to a cathartic experience. Singing helps me express emotions I am unable to put words to, yet the most important piece is the cleansing that occurs after I have put my sweat and tears into a piece and perform it flawlessly. The process of learning and perfecting the piece is one that brings about nearly all the basic human emotions. When I finally perform the piece I am cleansed of all the emotions that went into it. Humans do not always understand our own emotions, and art facilitates the natural and necessary katharsis we may not be able to achieve on our own.