Plato and Art

Elana Kuvuna

Plato is a Greek Philosopher whom we have all come to learn about as well as his famous
works. Most of what we know about his life has been constructed by hearsay of scholars and
historian through his early writings. In his writings, historians found that Plato referred to the arts
often, however that he also found art to be threatening. This is the first surprise to me about
Platos outlook on art because I know him to be a literary artist and philosopher so to describe it
as a threat is interesting. Plato expresses that art must be strictly controlled to preserve its valor
as well as train and protect citizens. Plato has a great influence on the Western World. He dared
to change the perception of the world as a decaying nature to evolving into a beautiful God given
gift. He stresses the importance of seeing the brilliance and beauty of even the little things
around us even as the world is changing in appearance. Beauty, Justice, and The Circle are what
Plato calls Forms and Ideas. With these three examples, Plato describes that though the world is
irrational and changeable, reality still exists in forms within the ideal world. Art is imitation;
Plato believes that work is influence and then therefore better replicated which creates
entertainment and inspiration. Reading about Plato and art, I understand his theories of art more
so than Tolstoy. Plato describes art as appealing and highlights emotions and products produced
by the fruit of art. Tolstoy however is more technical in describing art as an activity which
highlights lines, movement, colors, sounds, and forms. My definition of art is constantly
evolving, however I wish that I had read Plato and Art earlier in the semester because of the way
Plato ties in inspiration, expression, and action.