In this blog post, we explore how religious faith and aesthetic standards interact and harmonize in the appreciation of ancient sculptures.
To properly appreciate ancient sculptures, classical standards of appreciation are necessary. These standards go beyond simply evaluating aesthetic elements and include understanding the historical and religious context in which the work was created. This is because most ancient sculptures from both the East and West were created to realize the religious ideals of the people at that time. To appreciate ancient sculptures appropriately, one must first have a sense of reverence for what the sculpture symbolizes. This reverence goes beyond mere awe and signifies a communion with the sacred being expressed through the sculpture. At that point, it transcends the mere material meaning of the stone. When we look at ancient sculptures, it is true that aesthetic emotions are intuitively aroused. However, it was not until much later that it became possible to appreciate works of art centered on aesthetic emotions. In short, ancient sculptures existed to give viewers a sense of transcendence, such as sacredness and holiness. Therefore, understanding such sculptures solely from the perspective of beauty can result in a reduction of their meaning.
A good example of this is the Venus of Milo, discovered in a cave on the Mediterranean coast in the early 19th century. At the time of its discovery, it stood in front of the north wall of the cave, with pottery scattered around a large stone that appeared to be an altar. This suggests that Greek statues of the human body were enshrined like Buddhist statues in the East and were objects of religious worship at the time. Such discoveries provide important clues about how ancient people visualized their gods and worshipped them. This fact suggests that we should not view Greek sculptures in the same way we appreciate modern sculptures.
The spirit of human exploration evident in these sculptures was both extremely realistic and idealized. This spirit became the fundamental spirit of Western art. While natural objects were the main subjects of expression in the East, in the West, the human body was the main subject of expression rather than natural objects. But why did Westerners choose the human body as their primary subject among so many other subjects? This stems from their unique belief that humans are the measure of all things. In other words, the human body possesses a golden ratio that cannot be found in any other creature, and this ratio became the standard for measuring all things. To Westerners, the human body was not merely a physical form but a sacred structure containing the secrets of the universe. In other words, they believed that exploring the human body would reveal all the secrets of how God created humans. This way of thinking greatly influenced not only artists but also philosophers and scientists. In this context, ‘Aristotle’ argued that art is the imitation of humans. This is the immortal idea that led Western artists to choose the nude as their lifelong subject.
On the other hand, Eastern painters have used natural objects such as mountains, water, trees, animals, insects, and flowers as their main subjects for centuries. In the East, painting is referred to as ‘sasei,’ which means painting nature. Sasei refers to painting nature, such as landscapes and flowers. These natural subjects were not simply expressions of beauty, but tools for exploring how humans and nature can coexist in harmony. This is different from simply imitating natural objects as they are. Their purpose was not merely to reproduce the outward appearance of natural objects. They sought to understand how these objects move and live on their own, and by uncovering the secrets of nature, they explored the nature of humanity. Through this process, Eastern artists came to realize that nature and humanity are not separate entities but deeply interconnected beings.
Eastern art sought to confirm human nature through the exploration of nature. Thus, although Western and Eastern art appear to be in opposition at first glance, their ultimate spiritual goals are the same. This is because nature is not separate from humanity; nature is humanity, and humanity is nature. Therefore, to deeply understand Eastern and Western art, we must transcend their differences and focus on the fundamental understanding of humanity and the exploration of the essence of nature that they share.
