“It follows from previous remarks on natural beauty and from my whole view of art that its object is to facilitate knowledge of the Ideas of the world,” but “the Ideas are essentially something of perception, and therefore, in its fuller determinations, something inexhaustible. The communication of such a thing can therefore take place only on the path of perception, which is that of art.” (p.100)
"The Human Condition"
By René Magritte
By René Magritte
Try as I might, I could not manage to find a better painting that illustrates this concept of perception and representation. Here, René Magritte’s apt depiction of a painting merging seamlessly with the background landscape suggests the power a piece of art possesses to imitate the external world, the noumena, or as Schopenhauer put it, the Will. It’s through a piece of art that we the willing can apprehend the Will. Of course, the artwork in this case is physical and representational, but the same applies, if not more directly, with nonrepresentational artwork (i.e. music).
To accompany this painting, I chose Camille Saint-Saëns "The Swan." Though Schopenhauer was not alive to appreciate it, I hope his ghost approves...
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