Activity 2.1- Catharsis
Aristotle believed that imitation
is a natural human act, one that helps us understand the world from our
earliest years. As children, we learn to speak, write and behave by imitating
what we see around us. Many artists begin in exactly the same way, by simply
drawing what is in front of them. Imitation is foundational in learning.
This belief that imitation has
educational power led Aristotle to defend tragedy. He argued that by watching
others confront difficult situations, we learn to recognize and process our own
emotions. Through watching another’s struggles we can come to a better
understanding of our own emotions.
Catharsis is precisely this- a
therapeutic release that allows us to explore and process complex emotions. It
can take many forms, but Aristotle focused on the viewer’s experience of catharsis.
He argued that witnessing how a person confronts adversity, it brings up
emotions of fear and pity in the viewer of the tragedy, which ultimately leads
to a cleansing or catharsis. Through witnessing another’s struggle, we better
understand our own.
However, catharsis is not limited
to the viewer. Many artists experience catharsis through the act of creation
itself. Using art as a form of therapy has existed for generations, long before
becoming formalized in the 1940s. Artists
intuitively knew that making art could provide an emotional release and used it
as a way to externalize what they felt.
Lee Krasner’s Umber Series offers
up an example of this process. Created during the period after the deaths of
her husband and mother, these works reflect her attempt to navigate the
overwhelming grief she was dealing with. The paintings are fraught with
movement and intensity; they feel angry and restless. Through these paintings,
Krasner is channeling her pain and grief into something palpable, transforming
her grief into a liberating creation.
As viewers, we have the opportunity
to not only witness an artist’s cathartic process but also to engage in our
own. When we view a work of art, we may empathize with the emotions the artist
experienced while creating it, or we might be guided toward a particular
emotional response. Edvard Munch’s The Scream, for instance, confronts
us with undeniable anguish, while Cezanne’s Le Douleur emanates sadness.
Yet in many works, catharsis comes
from within us rather than directed from the artist’s intention. We bring our
own histories, vulnerabilities and emotional baggage with us when encountering
an artwork. We decide which emotions surface and if a release is finalized.
Mark Rothko’s paintings exemplify this. As Doyle notes in our course materials
(2023), “His paintings engage the viewer on both emotional and spiritual
levels- which allows for introspection and personal contemplation.” In this, artwork becomes just a vessel for
our own personal emotional experience.
There is no single, fixed definition
or purpose of art. It is multifaceted, offering as much as it demands from both
the audience and the artist. By engaging with theories of thinkers like Plato
and Aristotle, we deepen our understanding of the possibilities that art places
before us. When we recognize the potential effects of art, we become capable of
drawing far more from our encounters with it.
Sources
Doyle, J. (2023). Week 2- Plato, Aristotle, Warhol. Art Theory and Criticism.
Freeland, C. (2023). Art Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
Mendelsohn, M. (2017, November 13). The emotionally charged paintings Lee Krasner
created after Pollock’s death. Artsy. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-emotionally-charged-paintings-lee-krasner-created-pollocks-death
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