The dual nature of arts

A contradiction of the arts that never we consider now and we never has considered so, a contradiction, because they are both  material and ideal in same matter and time:  a panting is beauty or not but it is always material, hence human earthly, mortal, but it represent usually holy subjects , inasmuch beyond this word or metaphysical but not certainly earthly; it is the contradiction because for the ancient sculpture it is more evident, because it follows the same  contradiction but more contradictory , why? Simple because in same sculpture is represented the god that has the equal characteristic  of other gods, this is immortal , but it also human, because the gods often have human characters; whereby in same sculpture are two characters one human and other divine; same contradiction is Christian arts, for example the Creation of man of Michelangelo(Fig.1), God is creating  Adam this is the first man, but the man is  already present, why? Simple neither Michelangelo nor other  has sees the creation of man, then Michelangelo has given a physical reference to the spectator, so that understand the subject, hence God  to represent trough human form; but it is the contradiction, he has painted the men and women that are for their nature consubstantiation , because they are the human form  but the divine nature, therefore they are the dual nature, human and divine; same consubstantiation  that we see to pagan sculpture, but for ancient sculpture it is normally accepted, because the nature of gods is dual always, for the every tale. The human is expressed for two times, because the first, when the painter paints and the second time when the divine, Christian or Pagan, image is ended, and it has two natures. We can take a judge of Schelling regard to the figures od gods: “The  absolute reality of gods is consequent  to their absolute ideal nature. They a4re absolute, but in absolute ideal nature they are the same  thing”, and the dual nature is expressed from Schelling  in his Philosophy of art, and he has written again: “Every figure the gods, are real because they are possible” it can seem alone a philosophical note, but Schelling has expressed a concept very important trough the word “possible”, because they can exist or not, and this adjective “possible” explains the arts because the human figure of gods or God can be so or not; hence the possibility is present. And the philosopher continues: “The first thing the secret of their charm and of their nature for the figuration in art is in their limitation, this is in same divine figure, the qualities that limit one other, and they are absolutely separate”. It is the concept that we  have seen before, but that we can think as dual that excludes one and other this the earthly matter and the divine nature of image.

Alessandro Lusana

Fig 1