the critique of judgement-第42章

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itute　the　essential　condition　of　the　art。　For　the　thought　of　something　as　end　must　be　present；　or　else　its　product　would　not　be　ascribed　to　an　art　at　all；　but　would　be　a　mere　product　of　chance。　But　the　effectuation　of　an　end　necessitates　determinate　rules　which　we　cannot　venture　to　dispense　with。　Now；　seeing　that　originality　of　talent　is　one　（though　not　the　sole）　essential　factor　that　goes　to　make　up　the　character　of　genius；　shallow　minds　fancy　that　the　best　evidence　they　can　give　of　their　being　full…blown　geniuses　is　by　emancipating　themselves　from　all　academic　constraint　of　rules；　in　the　belief　that　one　cuts　a　finer　figure　on　the　back　of　an　ill…tempered　than　of　a　trained　horse。　Genius　can　do　no　more　than　furnish　rich　material　for　products　of　fine　art；　its　elaboration　and　its　form　require　a　talent　academically　trained；　so　that　it　may　be　employed　in　such　a　way　as　to　stand　the　test　of　judgement。　But；　for　a　person　to　hold　forth　and　pass　sentence　like　a　genius　in　matters　that　fall　to　the　province　of　the　most　patient　rational　investigation；　is　ridiculous　in　the　extreme。1　One　is　at　a　loss　to　know　whether　to　laugh　more　at　the　impostor　who　envelops　himself　in　such　a　cloud…in　which　we　are　given　fuller　scope　to　our　imagination　at　the　expense　of　all　use　of　our　critical　faculty…or　at　the　simple…minded　public　which　imagines　that　its　inability　clearly　to　cognize　and　comprehend　this　masterpiece　of　penetration　is　due　to　its　being　invaded　by　new　truths　en　masse；　in　comparison　with　which；　detail；　due　to　carefully　weighed　exposition　and　an　academic　examination　of　root　principles；　seems　to　it　only　the　work　of　a　tyro。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　SS　48。　The　relation　of　genius　to　taste。

　　For　estimating　beautiful　objects；　as　such；　what　is　required　is　taste；　but　for　fine　art；　i。e。；　the　production　of　such　objects；　one　needs　genius。　　　If　we　consider　genius　as　the　talent　for　fine　art　（which　the　proper　signification　of　the　word　imports）；　and　if　we　would　analyse　it　from　this　point　of　view　into　the　faculties　which　must　concur　to　constitute　such　a　talent；　it　is　imperative　at　the　outset　accurately　to　determine　the　difference　between　beauty　of　nature；　which　it　only　requires　taste　to　estimate；　and　beauty　of　art；　which　requires　genius　for　its　possibility　（a　possibility　to　which　regard　must　also　be　paid　in　estimating　such　an　object）。　　　A　beauty　of　nature　is　a　beautiful　thing；　beauty　of　art　is　a　beautiful　representation　of　a　thing。　　　To　enable　me　to　estimate　a　beauty　of　nature；　as　such；　I　do　not　need　to　be　previously　possessed　of　a　concept　of　what　sort　of　a　thing　the　object　is　intended　to　be；　i。e。；　I　am　not　obliged　to　know　its　material　finality　（the　end）；　but；　rather；　in　forming　an　estimate　of　it　apart　from　any　knowledge　of　the　end；　the　mere　form　pleases　on　its　own　account。　If；　however；　the　object　is　presented　as　a　product　of　art；　and　is　as　such　to　be　declared　beautiful；　then；　seeing　that　art　always　presupposes　an　end　in　the　cause　（and　its　causality）；　a　concept　of　what　the　thing　is　intended　to　be　must　first　of　all　be　laid　at　its　basis。　And；　since　the　agreement　of　the　manifold　in　a　thing　with　an　inner　character　belonging　to　it　as　its　end　constitutes　the　perfection　of　the　thing；　it　follows　that　in　estimating　beauty　of　art　the　perfection　of　the　thing　must　be　also　taken　into　account…a　matter　which　in　estimating　a　beauty　of　nature；　as　beautiful；　is　quite　irrevelant。　It　is　true　that　in　forming　an　estimate；　especially　of　animate　objects　of　nature；　e。g。；　of　a　man　or　a　horse；　objective　finality　is　also　commonly　taken　into　account　with　a　view　to　judgement　upon　their　beauty；　but　then　the　judgement　also　ceases　to　be　purely　aesthetic；　i。e。；　a　mere　judgement　of　taste。　Nature　is　no　longer　estimated　as　it　appears　like　art；　but　rather　in　so　far　as　it　actually　is　art；　though　superhuman　art；　and　the　teleological　judgement　serves　as　a　basis　and　condition　of　the　aesthetic；　and　one　which　the　latter　must　regard。　In　such　a　case；　where　one　says；　for　example；　〃That　is　a　beautiful　woman；〃　what　one　in　fact　thinks　is　only　this；　that　in　her　form　nature　excellently　portrays　the　ends　present　in　the　female　figure。　For　one　has　to　extend　one's　view　beyond　the　mere　form　to　a　concept；　to　enable　the　object　to　be　thought　in　such　manner　by　means　of　an　aesthetic　judgement　logically　conditioned。　　　Where　fine　art　evidences　its　superiority　is　in　the　beautiful　descriptions　it　gives　of　things　that　in　nature　would　be　ugly　or　displeasing。　The　Furies；　diseases；　devastations　of　war；　and　the　like；　can　（as　evils）　be　very　beautifully　described；　nay　even　represented　in　pictures。　One　kind　of　ugliness　alone　is　incapable　of　being　represented　conformably　to　nature　without　destroying　all　aesthetic　delight；　and　consequently　artistic　beauty；　namely；　that　which　excites　disgust。　For；　as　in　this　strange　sensation；　which　depends　purely　on　the　imagination；　the　object　is　represented　as　insisting；　as　it　were；　upon　our　enjoying　it；　while　we　still　set　our　face　against　it；　the　artificial　representation　of　the　object　is　no　longer　distinguishable　from　the　nature　of　the　object　itself　in　our　sensation；　and　so　it　cannot　possibly　be　regarded　as　beautiful。　The　art　of　sculpture；　again；　since　in　its　products　art　is　almost　confused　with　nature；　has　excluded　from　its　creations　the　direct　representation　of　ugly　objects；　and；　instead；　only　sanctions；　for　example；　the　representation　of　death　（in　a　beautiful　genius）；　or　of　the　warlike　spirit　（in　Mars）；　by　means　of　an　allegory；　or　attributes　which　wear　a　pleasant　guise；　and　so　only　indirectly；　through　an　interpretation　on　the　part　of　reason；　and　not　for　the　pure　aesthetic　judgement。　　　So　much　for　the　beautiful　representation　of　an　object；　which　is　properly　only　the　form　of　the　presentation　of　a　concept　and　the　means　by　which　the　latter　is　universally　communicated。　To　give　this　form；　however；　to　the　product　of　fine　art；　taste　merely　is　required。　By　this　the　artist；　having　practised　and　corrected　his　taste　by　a　variety　of　examples　from　nature　or　art；　controls　his　work　and；　after　many；　and　often　laborious；　attempts　to　satisfy　taste；　finds　the　form　which　commends　itself　to　him。　Hence　this　form　is　not；　as　it　were；　a　matter　of　inspiration；　or　of　a　free　swing　of　the　mental　powers；　but　rather　of　a　slow　and　even　painful　process　of　improvement；　directed　to　making　the　form　adequate　to　his　thought　without　prejudice　to　the　freedom　in　the　play　of　those　powers。　　　Taste　is；　however；　merely　a　critical；　not　a　productive　faculty；　and　what　conforms　to　it　is　not；　merely　on　that　account；　a　work　of　fine　art。　It　may　belong　to　useful　and　mechanical　art；　or　even　to　science；　as　a　product　following　definite　rules　which　are　capable　of　being　learned　and　which　must　be　closely　followed。　But　the　pleasing　form　imparted　to　the　work　is　only　the　vehicle　of　communication　and　a　mode；　as　it　were；　of　execution；　in　respect　of　which　one　remains　to　a　certain　extent　free；　notwithstanding　being　otherwise　tied　down　to　a　definite　end。　So　we　demand　that　table　appointments；　or　even　a　moral　dissertation；　and；　indeed；　a　sermon；　must　bear　this　form　of　fine　art；　yet　without　its　appearing　studied。　But　one　would　not　call　them　on　this　account　works　of　fine　art。　A　poem；　a　musical　composition；　a　picture…gallery；　and　so　forth；　would；　however；　be　placed　under　this　head；　and　so　in　a　would…be　work　of　fine　art　we　may　frequently　recognize　genius　without　taste；　and　in　another　taste　without　genius。

　　　　SS　49。　The　faculties　of　the　mind　which　constitute　genius。

　　Of　certain　products　which　are　expected；　partly　at　least；　to　stand　on　the　footing　of　fine　art；　we　say　they　are　soulless；　and　this；　although　we　find　nothing　to　censure　in　them　as　far　as　taste　goes。　A　poem　may　be　very　pretty　and　elegant；　but　is　soulless。　A　narrative　has　precision　and　method；　but　is　soulless。　A　speech　on　some　festive　occasion　may　be　good　in　substance　and　ornate　withal；　but　may　be　soulless。　Conversation　frequently　is　not　devoid　of　entertainment；　but　yet　soulless。　Even　of　a　woman　we　may　well　say；　she　is　pretty；　affable；　and　refined；　but　soulless。　Now　what　do　we　here　mean　by　〃soul〃？　　　Soul　（Geist）　in　an　aesthetical　sense；　signifies　the　animating　principle　in　the　mind。　But　that　whereby　this　principle　animates　the　psychic　substance　（Seele）…the　material　which　it　employs　for　that　purpose…is　that　which　sets　the