Reflection on “The Origin of the Work of Art” by Martin Heidegger
In this paper, Heidegger tried to explore the essence of artworks. He divided his paper into three sections: the Thing and Work, the Work and Truth, and Truth and Art. In this essay, I will discuss how these concepts were presented in this paper and interpreted.
In the introduction part, aiming to find the origin of artworks, Heidegger pointed out that artwork arises from the artist’s production so the artist is the origin of the work. However, we call a person as an artist because he had created an artwork. Therefore, in another perspective, the artwork is the origin of the artist. Between artworks and artists, Heidegger pointed out that art is prior to both of them and one can infer the essence of art from the artwork. Being an actual entity in the world, the artwork has its actuality of being as a thing that should have its thingly matter. Although artwork is a thing, artwork is not merely a thing but manifests something other to the public.
II. Thing and Work
In this section, Heidegger explored the relationship between thing and work. Heidegger pointed out that there were three traditional theories about understanding a thing, which in fact prevented us from understanding what a thing truly is : (i) a thing is something formed by assembled properties, (ii) a unity of a manifold of what given in senses and (iii) a formed matter (i.e. matter and form). These theories cannot fully explain the essence of a thing but hinder our quest. They combined together in the course of history which obstructs our quest on understanding the thingly character of things, equipmental character of equipment and workly character of the work. Heidegger explained the reason why form-and-matter dominates in our mind because this theory is derived from the interpretation of the equipmental being of equipment which is a being most familiar to human.
We may gain some insights by looking into the equipmental being of equipment as equipment has an intermediate position between thing and work. Heidegger took a pair of peasant shoes as an example. As equipment, the peasant shoes have their own use which is supported by reliability. When the shoes are worn out, their equipmentality will be wasted away and it becomes a mere thing. When we look at the pair of peasant shoes painted by Van Gogh, we will find that it is different from the shoes as equipment. The painting seems to speak and we are suddenly free from what we are usually are. Therefore, it demonstrates that the artwork lets us know what shoes truly are, the painting discloses how the shoes can be equipment. This unconcealment of being is the truth. Heidegger said that:-
“In the work of art, the truth of beings has set itself to work. “To set” means here “to bring to stand”…… The work, therefore, is not the reproduction of some particular entity that happens to be at hand at any given time; it is, on the contrary, the reproduction of thing’s general essence.” 1
The truth (i.e. unconcealment) of beings has brought itself to work and stands in the work. This truth is the essence of the work rather than the aesthetic aspect. Although there are thingly features in artworks, this feature should not be treated as the substructure in the work which will mislead artworks as equipment. However, it does not mean that we should deny the thingly features. It means that the features must be conceived through the workly nature of the work. The work set itself into the work. (“setting-itself-into-work”)
III. Work and Truth
In this section, Heidegger explained the relationship among works, the world and the earth.
Heidegger used a Greek temple to illustrate his idea. The building encloses the figure of the god and it leads the historical people to understand “the birth and death, disaster and blessing, victory and disgrace, endurance…”2 Therefore, the work is opening up a world. The forms and matters of the temple help illustrate this world and at the same time, the materials forming the works are disclosed in a separate course. Heidegger concluded the experience as:-
“In the work of art, the truth of beings has set itself to work. “To set” means here “to bring to stand”…… The work, therefore, is not the reproduction of some particular entity that happens to be at hand at any given time; it is, on the contrary, the reproduction of thing’s general essence.” 1
The truth (i.e. unconcealment) of beings has brought itself to work and stands in the work. This truth is the essence of the work rather than the aesthetic aspect. Although there are thingly features in artworks, this feature should not be treated as the substructure in the work which will mislead artworks as equipment. However, it does not mean that we should deny the thingly features. It means that the features must be conceived through the workly nature of the work. The work set itself into the work. (“setting-itself-into-work”)
III. Work and Truth
In this section, Heidegger explained the relationship among works, the world and the earth.
Heidegger used a Greek temple to illustrate his idea. The building encloses the figure of the god and it leads the historical people to understand “the birth and death, disaster and blessing, victory and disgrace, endurance…”2 Therefore, the work is opening up a world. The forms and matters of the temple help illustrate this world and at the same time, the materials forming the works are disclosed in a separate course. Heidegger concluded the experience as:-
“The temple work, standing there, opens up a world and at the same time sets this world back again on earth, which itself only thus emerges as native ground.” 3
Therefore, work is work because it sets up a world; it provides an open region for the formation of a world. Heidegger clarified that the world is not the mere collection of things that are present but is a realm in which we believe that we are at home. The world is not objective to us and we are not the subject but the world transports us into beings. When decisions of our history are made, taken up or abandoned, there will be the formation of a new world.
The second characteristic of a work is that it sets forth itself. For equipment, the materials disappear into usefulness which cannot be manifested. In contrast, the materials in the temple do not disappear but come forth to us in the very first time.
The third characteristic of a work is that it let the earth come forth. Heidegger stated that:-
“In setting up a world, the works sets forth the earth….. The work moves the earth itself into the open region of a world and keeps it there. The work lets the earth be an earth.” 4
The earth cannot be explained by scientific knowledge alone. Instead, the earth only shows itself when it is undisclosed or unexplained. After setting up the world, the work set itself back to the earth. In this setting back, it brings the earth to the open region and thus the earth becomes self-secluding. The openness of the world and concealing nature of the earth are opposite in nature. To achieve unity/repose in a work, the strife of these two components are not destroying each other but rather raise each other into their own essential natures: self-assertion, which is the provenance of one’s own Being.
Therefore, work is work because it sets up a world; it provides an open region for the formation of a world. Heidegger clarified that the world is not the mere collection of things that are present but is a realm in which we believe that we are at home. The world is not objective to us and we are not the subject but the world transports us into beings. When decisions of our history are made, taken up or abandoned, there will be the formation of a new world.
The second characteristic of a work is that it sets forth itself. For equipment, the materials disappear into usefulness which cannot be manifested. In contrast, the materials in the temple do not disappear but come forth to us in the very first time.
The third characteristic of a work is that it let the earth come forth. Heidegger stated that:-
“In setting up a world, the works sets forth the earth….. The work moves the earth itself into the open region of a world and keeps it there. The work lets the earth be an earth.” 4
The earth cannot be explained by scientific knowledge alone. Instead, the earth only shows itself when it is undisclosed or unexplained. After setting up the world, the work set itself back to the earth. In this setting back, it brings the earth to the open region and thus the earth becomes self-secluding. The openness of the world and concealing nature of the earth are opposite in nature. To achieve unity/repose in a work, the strife of these two components are not destroying each other but rather raise each other into their own essential natures: self-assertion, which is the provenance of one’s own Being.
But how truth happens in the instigation of strife between world and earth and what is truth? Heidegger investigated truth in the ancient Greek concept. The Greek word Aletheia means the unconcealment of beings. However, this concept was not investigated thoroughly before and many philosophers misunderstood truth as absolute correctness instead of unconcealment. If we have to know a matter, it has to manifest itself in a clear region. Everything such as human beings and animals is a particular being stands in Being. In the midst of beings as a whole (i.e. Being), there is a clearing that surrounds the beings. When beings pass through the clearing, beings are unconcealed. Since concealment can be a refusal or dissembling, the clearing of unconcealment is not a rigid stage. In fact, the clearing (i.e. truth) can only occur in this double-natured concealment. In other words, truth only occurs if there is concealment and thus the essence of truth is untruth.
Heidegger clarified that the world is not simply an open region corresponding to clearing and the earth is not simply a closed region corresponding to concealment. Instead, the world is an opening path that guides directions for beings and the earth rise up as self-closing. Although the world and the earth are always in conflict, the world grounds itself on the earth and the earth has to jut through the world. He then summarized the ways of truth happening in the strife:-
The work set out a world
The work set forth the earth
The world and earth strife with each other
Heidegger clarified that the world is not simply an open region corresponding to clearing and the earth is not simply a closed region corresponding to concealment. Instead, the world is an opening path that guides directions for beings and the earth rise up as self-closing. Although the world and the earth are always in conflict, the world grounds itself on the earth and the earth has to jut through the world. He then summarized the ways of truth happening in the strife:-
The work set out a world
The work set forth the earth
The world and earth strife with each other
In the strife, unconcealment of beings as a whole(i.e. Truth) is won. (In the later part of the essay, Heidegger further clarified that it is the open space won in the strife that becomes the place where truth grounds itself)
One should note that the truth is not unconcealment of a particular being, but beings as a whole. Even though we know that the truth set itself into work, we still need to ask does it mean that truth can happen as art.
IV. Truth and Art
To contemplate the essence of art, Heidegger mentioned that one can trace from the essence of work in the introduction part. Although we have understood the workly being in work, we didn’t know what is the thingly feature in the work. Heidegger rose that as work is something created so the workly character of the work is created by an artist. As mentioned before, the work is presupposed as the bearer when the truth is happening.
Although the creation of a work is a bringing forth, making equipment is also a bringing forth. So, what are the differences? Heidegger referred to the Greek word techne which denotes a mode of knowing. In ancient Greek, the essence of knowing consists in Aletheia (i.e. unconcealment of beings). Therefore, techne is a bringing forth of beings from concealment instead of signifying the action of making. The artist is technites because he creates the work that reveals the truth. Therefore, the work’s createdness and its relating creation must both be defined in terms of the workly features of work, instead of merely a form-and-matter concept.
The unconcealment of beings required the open region has won in the strife. The essence of unconcealment of beings belongs to Beings itself so the Being will let the free space happens through his own essence. This free space will be the place where each being emerges in his own way. Since the open space has been filled by present beings, truth does not exist beforehand. Therefore, truth present in the artwork is unique in historical times. Heidegger admitted that artwork is not the only way in which truth can happen. Other ways such as political activities, essential sacrifice and thinking of Being. However, science is not a happening of truth; it is only the cultivation of a domain of truth that has already been opened.
The fixing truth in figures is the first characteristic of a created work. When the strife sets back to earth to present the world, the strife is fixed in a place and presented as a figure. Therefore, createdness of a work is the fixing truth into a figure. This fixing is not consuming matters. On the contrary, equipment never effects the happening of truth directly and the materials will be used up in usefulness of equipment.
The second characteristic is that the thrust of work (i.e. "that it is the work") is the self-subsistence of the work so the work never requires the fame of artists or the creation process to survive. It is because by way of work's own essence, the unconcealment of beings is a first-time presence in the world that can result in a great thrust already. This “that it is” may also be in equipment but is usually forgotten in equipment’s usefulness. The thrust is greatest when the work is cut away from other ties. The thrust also transports humans from the ordinary world into the open region where truth sets.
The third characteristic relating to createdness is preservation. “Preserving the work means standing within the openness of beings.”5 The standing within is a knowing which is not merely knowing information but knows what one's wills to do among beings. Therefore, preserving the work provide a ground for a being to stand out from historical human existence so that the being can unconceal himself. One should notice that work as a created thing, the work has to tie with preservers even though it is still waiting for them. The fixing truth in figures, the thrust of work and preservation of worj are related to the creation of work. From these aspects, it can be summarized that art is the creative preservation of truth in the work. Thus, art is a happening and a becoming of truth.
Then, we may also ask how truth can arise. It is because, as mentioned before, truth does not exist beforehand. To this question, Heidegger answered that all art in essence is poetry. It is because poetry can cut human from the ordinary world and provide an open space for truth happening. Therefore, poetry requires imagination for freeing beings from ordinary ties and let beings experiencing the truth inside the artworks. For Heidegger, “language alone brings beings as beings into the open for the first time.”6 It is because language is used to name beings for the first time which brings beings to appearance. Such naming points to the beings to their Being. This kind of saying is a projecting (i.e. planning) of clearing. In this projecting, beings are announced what they are when they are entering into the open space. Therefore, naming is to bring beings into the open space for their own unconcealment. Other kinds of artworks such as buildings and figures also happen only in the open region of saying and naming. However, this kind of poetic saying happened unnoticedly in non-language-based artworks.
If the essence of art is poetry, by the truth-imbued nature in art, the essence of poetry will be the founding of truth. The founding has implied three aspects: bestowing, founding and grounding. Since artworks require preservers, every mode of founding will correspond to a mode of preserving. Truth is then exposed to the coming preservers who are a historical group of human beings. Whenever a new and essential world is formed, the thrust will enter history and history will begin or start over again. It is important to clarify that history here does not simply mean the course of time but is the transporting of a group of people into their appointed tasks. At the same time, history is the entry into the people’s endowment.
V. Conclusion
In this essay, I have discussed how Heidegger viewed art, artworks and artists. For Heidegger, art is the origin where truth can be shown to the beings through artworks. The creation of artists and the createdness of artworks both have to depend on the truth happening. Furthermore, the essence of art is poetry which requires one’s imagination to let the truth leap into the artworks.
Footnote
1. P.162, Marin Heidegger, “Basic Writings – Revised & Expanded Edition”, Translated by David Farrell Krell, HarperCollins Publishers, 1993 (Abbreviated as BW later on)
2. P.167, BW
3. P.168, BW
4. P.172, BW
5. P.192, BW
6. P.198, BW
Comments
Post a Comment