Existentialist Aesthetics

7/25/2019 Existentialist Aesthetics

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Existentialist AestheticsFirst published Fri Jun 26, 2009; substantive revision Tue Feb 17, 201!an" o# the philosophers co$$onl" described as %existentialist& have $ade ori'inal anddecisive contributions to aesthetic thin(in') *n $ost cases, a substantial involve$ent inartistic practice +as novelists, pla"ri'hts or $usicians- nourished their thin(in' on aestheticexperience) This is true alread" o# to o# the $a.or philosophers ho inspired 20th centur"existentialis$/ ren ier(e'aard and Friedrich 3iet4sche) For reasons o# space, hoever, thisentr" is restricted to 20th centur" thin(ers ho at one point or another accepted the ta'

%existentialist& as an accurate characterisation o# their thin(in', and ho have $ade the $ostsi'ni5cant contributions to aesthetics/ Albert a$us, i$one de eauvoir, 8abriel !arcel,!aurice !erleau:ont" and Jean:aul artre)

Existentialis$ oes its na$e to its e$phasis on %existence&) For all the thin(ers $entionedabove, re'ardless o# their dierences, existence indicates the special a" in hich hu$anbein's are in the orld, in contrast ith other bein's) For the existentialists, the hu$an bein'is %$ore& than hat it is/ not onl" does the hu$an bein' (no that it is but, on the basis o# this #unda$ental (noled'e, this bein' can choose ho it ill %use& its on bein', and thusho it ill relate to the orld) %Existence& is thus closel" related to #reedo$ in the sense o# anactive en'a'e$ent in the orld) This $etaph"sical theor" re'ardin' hu$an #reedo$ leadsinto a distinct approach to ontolo'", i)e), the stud" o# the dierent a"s o# bein')

This ontolo'ical aspect o# existentialis$ ties it to aesthetic considerations) Existentialistthin(ers believe that, under certain conditions, #reedo$ 'rants the hu$an bein' the capacit"o# revealin' essential #eatures o# the orld and o# the bein's in it) ince artistic practice is oneo# the pri$e exa$ples o# #ree hu$an activit", it is there#ore also one o# the privile'ed $odeso# revealin' hat the orld is about) <oever, since $ost o# the existentialists #olloed3iet4sche in the conviction that %8od is dead,& art=s poer o# revelation is to a lar'e extentdevoted to expressin' the absurdit" o# the hu$an condition) For the existentialists, the orldis no lon'er hospitable to our hu$an desire #or $eanin' and order)

This ontolo'ical approach to art underpins so$e o# the $ost distinctive #eatures o# existentialist aesthetics) ecause it vies art in ter$s o# %revelation,& it #avors representativeart and is suspicious o# #or$alist avant'ardes) And because it 'rounds expressive capacit" onthe notion o# hu$an #reedo$, it de$ands that artistic representation be stron'l" in#or$ed b"ethical and political concerns) This is h" at ti$es existentialist aesthetics can appear out o# touch ith the aesthetic avant'ardes o# the 20th centur")

o$e o# the existentialists rote substantial anal"ses about dierent art #or$s and ho the"can be co$pared, elaboratin' so$ethin' li(e a %s"ste$ o# the arts& si$ilar to that o# classicalaesthetics) All the existentialist thin(ers, ith the exception o# !erleau:ont", thou'ht thatthe #or$ that best enabled the revelator" potential o# art as the theatre, #olloed b" thenovel)

1) !etaph"sical #oundations o# existentialist aesthetics2) The pheno$enolo'ical core o# existentialist aesthetics>) Art as revelation o# the orld?) Art as expression o# hu$an #reedo$) Art and the absurd6) @ntolo'" o# the artor(7) Theor" o# expression) The artist9) The audience10) The existentialist %s"ste$ o# the arts&10)1 Theatre10)2 The novel

10)> :oetr"10)? 3onlin'uistic arts/ paintin' and $usic10) ine$aiblio'raph":ri$ar" ources



elected econdar" ourcesAcade$ic Tools@ther *nternet BesourcesBelated Entries1) !etaph"sical #oundations o# existentialist aesthetics

The ter$ %aesthetics& as it 5rst e$er'ed in $odern philosoph" +in A) 8) au$'arten=s 170Aesthetica- enco$passed the theor" o# perception, the theor" o# beaut" and the theor" o# art)

This re$ained true o# all classical philosophical aesthetics in the late 1th and 19th centuries)

*n this brand o# aesthetics, the aesthetic $o$ent is but one aspect o# the 'eneral theor" o# ho hu$ans perceive, (no, and act in the orld; the theories o# beaut" and o# artisticpractice depend on the theories o# perception, (noled'e and .ud'e$ent, and those in turnare pre$ised upon $ore #unda$ental considerations re'ardin' the nature o# realit" and ourrelationship to it) " contrast ith the specialised aesthetic theories developed in the last #edecades, existentialist aesthetics is a continuation o# this 'rand tradition) Existentialistaesthetics is inti$atel" connected to certain $etaph"sical vies, and it oes its richness andconsistenc" to the #act that it is part o# a co$plex and coherent philosophical s"ste$)

There#ore e should be'in b" delineatin' the $ost salient #eatures o# this $etaph"sicaloutloo()

The (e" insi'ht that de5nes and unites existentialis$ as a philosophical position, despite all

the diver'ences beteen the authors included under that deno$ination, is the e$phasis onthe radical nature o# hu$an #reedo$, and the $etaph"sical and ontolo'ical i$ports o# that#reedo$) The $etaph"sical and ontolo'ical si'ni5cance o# #reedo$ precedes its $oral,ethical, and political aspects, since the a"s in hich hu$an bein's %hoo( up& to the orldshould be considered be#ore issues o# dut" or .ustice) For existentialis$, hu$an #reedo$'rounds the ver" possibilit" o# (noled'e in its deepest #or$, i)e), the capacit" o# hu$anbein's to reveal so$ethin' about realit") A hristian existentialist li(e 8abriel !arcelinterprets the $etaph"sical reach o# hu$an #reedo$ in ter$s o# the capacit" andresponsibilit" o# individuals to $a(e the$selves %available& to the $"ster" o# theirparticipation in creation, in particular b" respondin' to the appeal o# the 'reat %Thou& +see inparticular !arcel 1960b-) Atheistic existentialists +a$us, artre, de eauvoir, !erleau:ont"-,on the contrar", do not 'round #reedo$ in #aith and the hope o# accessin' the transcendent;instead the" e$phasise the diCcult" o# assu$in' that #reedo$, since nothin' can ensure thatour atte$pts at 5ndin' $eanin' in the orld ill actuall" "ield so$ethin' ob.ectivel" presentin it) ut in all cases #reedo$ is the ulti$ate 'round o# hu$an bein's= capacit" to relate to theorld)

2) The pheno$enolo'ical core o# existentialist aestheticsFor the 20th centur" existentialists, a decisive philosophical inspiration as pheno$enolo'",the philosophical $ethod devised b" the 8er$an philosopher, Ed$und <usserl, durin' thelate 19th and earl" 20th centuries, and hich his #a$ous student, !artin <eide''er,developed into a co$bination o# existential anal"sis and deep ontolo'") Even a$us, hodoes not de5ne hi$sel# as a pheno$enolo'ist, and indeed so$eti$es re.ects the ta' o#

%existentialist& +19?-, appropriates the notion o# intentionalit", central to <usserl=spheno$enolo'", in his $ost #a$ous or(, The !"th o# is"phus +a$us 19?2b, ??D0-) *t#ollos that existentialist aesthetics and the pheno$enolo'ical approach to aestheticperception and .ud'e$ent +*n'arden 1962, 196- are to closel" related areas) !i(elu#renne situates his or( precisel" at this intersection +see especiall" u#renne 197>-)<oever, the existentialists= approach to pheno$enolo'" is hi'hl" ori'inal, and has si'ni5cantand distinctive i$plications #or aesthetics)

hat does intentionalit" $ean, and h" is it such a central notion in existentialist thin(in'about artG <usserl shos that hen an" t"pe o# $eanin' is articulated +in co'nitive, $oral,aective, aesthetic attitudes, etc)-, a speci5c act o# consciousness occurs) The speci5cit" o# the $eanin' in Huestion depends on the particular a" in hich consciousness %intends& its

content in each case, i)e), the speci5c a" in hich it relates to a 'iven +e)'), an ob.ect to(no, .ud'e, perceive, en.o", and so on-) *n other ords, dierent t"pes o# $eanin' dependon the speci5c structure o# the acts o# consciousness that carr" the$; in particular, the"depend on the speci5c te$poralit" o# these $ental acts) To 'ive an exa$ple that $ade itsa" into so$e o# the $ost #a$ous existentialist literar" or(s +e)'), in the #a$ous



descriptions in 3ausea, artre=s 5rst novel-/ there is a speci5c te$poralit" involved inperceivin' an ob.ect in space) The ob.ect is not 'iven in an instant, and ever" perceptionpoints to a potential ne perception hich ill con5r$ or revise the previous ones) Thiste$poralit" o# perception i$plies recourse to $e$or" and a uni5cation o# past $o$ents o# perception) This e$phasis on the a" hu$an consciousness %intends& the orld in dierenta"s accounts not .ust #or the content o# hu$an (noled'e, but also, $ore radicall", #or therelationship o# the hu$an bein' to realit") *t is not .ust an episte$olo'ical but a $etaph"sicalposition)

This approach to the basic proble$ o# $etaph"sics is hi'hl" si'ni5cant because it circu$ventsthe dualis$s o# classical philosoph"/ sub.ect vs) ob.ect, i$pression vs) a priori principles asthe basis o# (noled'e, #reedo$ vs) deter$inis$, and so on) The e$phasis on intentionalit"avoids these dualis$s because it entails, on the one hand, that all $eanin's are constitutedthrou'h acts o# hu$an consciousness, thus insistin' on the active role o# the sub.ect in the#or$ulation o# an" $eanin'#ul aspect o# the orld) @n the other hand, hoever, the theor" o# intentionalit" also i$plies that the orld alread" contains the $eanin's that consciousnessreveals, either because these $eanin's are potentialities #ro$ the point o# vie o# hu$anaction +this is artre=s vie-, or si$pl" because these $eanin's are alread" in the orld+!erleau:ont"=s vie, but also that o# !arcel, #or ho$ true (noled'e arises #ro$ theopenness to the #ullness o# ein'-)

The existentialists explicitl" e$braced the philosophical solution that pheno$enolo'"provided) For exa$ple, artre=s hat is IiteratureG, the (e" text o# existentialist aesthetics,starts o b" re#or$ulatin' the #unda$ental lesson o# <usserlian pheno$enolo'"/

Each o# our perceptions is acco$panied b" the consciousness that hu$an realit" is a%revealer&, that is, it is throu'h hu$an realit" that %there is& bein', or, to put it dierentl",that $an is the $eans b" hich thin's are $ani#ested) *t is our presence in the orld hich$ultiplies relations) *t is e ho set up this relationship beteen this tree and a bit o# s(")

Than(s to us, that star hich has been dead #or $illennia, that Huarter $oon, and that dar(river are associated in the unit" o# a landscape) *t is the speed o# our car and our aeroplanehich or'anises the 'reat $ass o# the earth) ith each o# our acts, the orld reveals to us ane #ace) ut, i# e (no that e are directors o# bein', e also (no that e are not itsproducers) *# e turn aa" #ro$ this landscape, it ill sin( bac( into its dar( per$anence) Atleast, it ill sin( bac(; there is no one $ad enou'h to thin( that it is 'oin' to be annihilated+artre 19?a, 26-)>) Art as revelation o# the orldartre dras a basic aesthetic i$plication #ro$ the thesis that $eanin' in the orld dependson acts o# consciousness/ the #unda$ental ai$ o# the or( o# art is to deliberatel" andconsistentl" exert this uniHuel" hu$an Hualit" to introduce $eanin'#ul order and re'ularitiesinto the orld) hereas in the %natural attitude& this happens ithout the a'ent=s aareness+in the #or$ o# natural perception, nonscienti5c (noled'e, and so on-, in artistic practice theorder, re'ularities, perspectives, and $eanin'#ul relationships are #or$alised, e$phasised,

s"ste$atised, and il#ull" arran'ed) The si$ultaneous eect is to %reveal& si'ni5cant #eatureso# the orld and to 'ain a reexive, sel#assured sense o# bein' revealers o# the orld andK$ani#estin'L it) Thus, our sense o# #reedo$ is tre$endousl" increased/

@ne o# the chie# $otives o# artistic creation is certainl" the need o# #eelin' that e areessential in relationship to the orld) *# * 5x on canvas or in ritin' a certain aspect o# the5elds or the sea or a loo( on so$eone=s #ace hich * have disclosed, * a$ conscious o# havin'produced the$ b" condensin' relationships, b" introducin' order here there as none, b"i$posin' the unit" o# $ind on the diversit" o# thin's +artre 19?a, 27-)

Thus the 5rst aspect o# aesthetic pleasure is this double %.o"& +artre 19?a, ?1- o# %disclosin'& the orld and #ull" appropriatin' the uniHue poer to do so, beco$in' aare andexercisin' our radical #reedo$) This 5rst aspect o# aesthetic pleasure can be called

%$etaph"sical&, since it arises #ro$ the #unda$ental relation beteen hu$ans and the orld)

*ndeed, such is the $etaph"sical reach o# hu$an #reedo$ that ever" atte$pt to disclose aportion o# the orld tends to ai$ #or the disclosure o# the %totalit"& o# bein's) This is because+as <usserl had alread" insisted- the $ost partial or $inute act o# perception entails a



re#erence to a broader hori4on o# #uture potential perceptions) !an" existentialist riters havestressed this pri$ordial, $etaph"sical #unction o# the or( o# art as a partial revealin' thatai$s to uncover the totalit" o# ein') This idea is #ound, $ost notabl", in i$one deeauvoir=s de#ence o# the $etaph"sical novel +de eauvoir 19?6, 196, 7>; see also, !erleau:ont"=s reections in his revie o# de eauvoir=s 5rst novel, 19?c-)

uch an inti$ate lin( beteen $etaph"sics and art explains h" existentialists o#ten placecertain artists on a level eHual or superior to the philosophers/ a$us ith ostoievs(i, !arcel

ith ach, !erleau:ont" ith M4anne, artre and de eauvoir ith Faul(ner and a#(a) *talso partl" explains h" $ost existentialist philosophers ere eHuall", or in #act $ore, activeas creative riters) Accordin' to the$, there are no real dierences beteen $etaph"sicalinHuir" and artistic practice/ both are a"s o# revealin' to hu$an bein's their on #reedo$and responsibilit")

?) Art as expression o# hu$an #reedo$ The $etaph"sical and ethical di$ensions o# hu$an #reedo$ are inti$atel" related) This is the$ost si'ni5cant dierence beteen the existentialists and <usserlian pheno$enolo'"/ theexistentialists lin( the poer to disclose the orld to the necessit" o# hu$an bein's to decideho the" should be, in ter$s o# the #unda$ental values directin' a person=s li#e) The concepto# %existence& desi'nates precisel" this ethical di$ension o# hu$an li#e) The existentialists

ar'ue that, o# all the bein's existin' in the orld, the hu$an bein' is the onl" one that candecide hat it should be; indeed, it is #orced to do so since it has no 5xed nature) As theexistentialist $otto 'oes, %$an is conde$ned to be #ree)& <ere, #reedo$ is not .ustindependence in the sense o# independence #ro$, but in the sense o# bein' able to decideho and hat one should be) This ethical di$ension o# #reedo$ as the poer o# sel#deter$ination +hich also entails a dut"- explains the central place o# the notion o# %en'a'e$ent +co$$it$ent-)& e#ore it desi'nates an" necessit" to choose in particularsituations, %en'a'e$ent& re#ers to the #unda$ental position o# the hu$an individual, hosever" bein' consists in havin' to $a(e use o# its #reedo$) @n the existentialists= outloo(, theonl" positive #eature o# %hu$an realit",& strictl" spea(in', is responsibilit" toards others andtoards onesel# +and, #or the hristian existentialists, also toards 8od-) !an" hu$an bein'sre#use this burden and ee #ro$ their ontolo'ical responsibilit" b" acceptin' pre'iven roles)

This is hat artre=s %bad #aith& and !arcel=s %#unctional $an& desi'nate)

hat is the lin( beteen the $etaph"sical and the ethical di$ensions o# hu$an #reedo$, andho does this latter concern aestheticsG

Iet us be'in ith the 5rst part o# the Huestion) e ill 5rst approach it b" usin' a $ode o# ar'u$ent t"pical o# pheno$enolo'") !an" existentialists insist that the a"s in hich ahu$an consciousness %intends& the orld +that is, i$poses a certain order and re'ularit" inexternal pheno$ena- is intrinsicall" dependent on the values the person has set #or hersel#) A$ountain cli$ber vies a $ountain in a a" radicall" dierent #ro$ an intellectual ho hasdevoted his or her li#e to boo(s) The dierence in their perspectives relates to the deep

pro.ects o# selves that distin'uish these to persons) *n other ords, behind ever" perceptionthere is a value inuencin' the perception in advance and thus ulti$atel" deter$inin' itsprecise content) @n a deeper, ontolo'ical level, the experience that there is so$ethin' at all,the experience o# bein', cannot be conceived i# there is not a desire #or it +an %ontolo'icalexi'enc"& sa"s !arcel-) The ver" capacit" o# hu$an bein's to conceive so$ethin' in theorld at all is pre$ised on their capacit" to posit values +artre 19?>a; !arcel 1960a, #or thereli'ious perspective-)

*# that is true, hoever, then ever" %revelation& o# the orld in the 5rst, $etaph"sical sensealso entails a revelation o# the #unda$ental ethical +or, as the existentialists pre#erred,existential- pro.ect underpinnin' this perception) This ansers, then, the second part o# theHuestion re'ardin' the relation beteen the or( o# art and the ethical aspect o# #reedo$) For

the existentialists, as e sa, the or( o# art brin's to a hi'her level o# reexivit" andconsistenc" the innate capacit" o# hu$an bein's to disclose the orld) <oever, since thiscapacit" is itsel# rooted in the ethical or reli'ious nature o# hu$an bein's, the or( o# artpla"s a central role in conve"in' a $ore acute sense o# ethical responsibilit") *t #ollos that



there is an inti$ate lin( beteen art and en'a'e$ent/ ever" aesthetic orderin' o# the orldbrin's ith it a conception o# hu$an #reedo$ and su''ests a"s to use it)

<ence, artre=s de5nition o# the literar" or(, hich applies broadl" to all or(s o# art/ %N ani$a'inar" presentation o# the orld inas$uch as it reHuires hu$an #reedo$& +19?a, ?-) *nother ords, the artor( serves the purpose o# %$a(in' us #eel essential in relation to theorld)& The or( o# art presents the orld not .ust in the sense that it reveals aspects o# it,but also in the sense that it calls #or hu$an involve$ent, notabl" in collective action +or, #or

!arcel, Kco$$unionL- +8oldthorpe 1992-)

This de5nition o# the artor( re$ains a$bi'uous inas$uch as it does not speci#" hose#reedo$ is reHuired) A nu$ber o# #eatures can be delineated as a result, dependin' on hose#reedo$ is e$phasised in each case)

The #reedo$ reHuired b" the orld is 5rst o# all that o# the artist) Ever" artor( reveals a#unda$ental, existential attitude toards the orld, and is the expression o# an existentialchoice) e ill return to the #unda$ental notion o# expression belo, but e can alread" notethat puttin' existential ei'ht on ever" act o# disclosure leads directl" to the conclusion thatartistic practice is inti$atel" lin(ed to ethical and political choices)

<oever, the KexpressiveL aspect o# the artor(, the #act that it is the $ani#estation o# auniHue sub.ectivit", is not the $ost interestin' one #or the existentialists; #ro$ thisperspective, existentialist aesthetics is Huite distant #ro$ ro$anticis$) This is becauseexistence, #reedo$ and sel#deter$ination are, #or the existentialists, essentiall" active andpractical notions) The existential choice is not si$pl" a choice o# ho one should be, in thesense o# a choice o# personalit" or character; the theor" o# existence does not translate into atheor" o# 'enius) Bather, the e$phasis is on the active relationship ithin the orld, andespeciall" ith others) Accordin'l", one de5nes ho one is b" hat one does ith one=s#reedo$ in the orld, throu'h the a"s in hich one proposes to chan'e the orld, notabl" inrelation to other hu$an a'ents) hen the artist presents the orld +hether he or she li(es itor not-, this presentation also proposes to others a"s to live in the orld and possibl" +atleast #or the $ost politicall" $inded authors, such as artre, de eauvoir and !erleau:ont"-to chan'e it) *n artre=s ords, ever" %i$a'inar" presentation o# the orld& is an act o# %a&#reedo$ spea(in' to %other& #reedo$s about possible a"s o# en'a'in' #reedo$ in the orld)Extendin' artre=s de5nition o# the novel, then, e could sa" that ever" artor( is an%appeal& +artre 19?a, >2-)

There#ore the artor( involves a #reedo$ that is not .ust that o# the artist, but also that o# theaudience) *n existentialist lan'ua'e, it is #reedo$ considered as Ken'a'ed,L that is, irreducibl"cau'ht up in en'a'e$ent and #orced to do so$ethin' about it) <ence, artre oers anotherde5nition o# the artor( that identi5es the dierent poles o# the $etaph"sical poer o# art/%N the riter has chosen to reveal the orld and particularl" to reveal $an to other $en sothat the latter $a" assu$e #ull responsibilit" be#ore the ob.ect hich has thus been laid bare&

+artre 19?a, 1?-)

*n their on artistic practice and their or( as critics, the existentialists tended to interpretthis conception o# art=s $ission +as revelation and appeal- as an ar'u$ent in #avour o# representational approaches, and a'ainst #or$alistic and puristic approaches) The" ere'enerall" sceptical o# KautotelicL conceptions o# the artor( that vie it as a sel#containedob.ect anserable onl" to its on #or$al rules) *n this respect, a'ain, the" dier #ro$ so$e$odernist vies) *ndeed, this insistence on the representative di$ension o# art $i'ht appearold#ashioned, inas$uch as the $ore $odern insistence on the autono$" o# the artor( has$ar(ed $ost late 19th centur" aesthetic pro.ects and their 20th centur" descendants) Theexistentialists= insistence on the intrinsic ethical and political si'ni5cance o# the artor(#urther distances the$ #ro$ these other aesthetic approaches)

) Art and the absurdo #ar e have onl" considered the sub.ective side o# the lin( beteen hu$an revelation o# the orld and the orld itsel#) Existentialis$, hoever, also e$phasi4es the ob.ective side o# the lin(; that is, the orld itsel# as ob.ect o# perception and (noled'e, and as the context in



hich hu$an action ta(es place) <ere, there are so$e notable dierences beteenKopti$isticL and Ktra'icL conceptions o# the orld in ter$s o# our hu$an endeavours)

The Kopti$isticL ontolo'ies, li(e those o# !arcel or !erleau:ont", see the orld as bein' onthe hole a elco$in' place #or hu$an (noled'e and action) !arcel, despite his criticalanal"ses o# hat he sees as the ills o# $odern societ", is the $ost opti$istic o# all, $ainl" dueto the theolo'ical 'roundin' o# his ontolo'") Olti$atel" there is no 'ap #or hi$ beteen the"earnin' #or #ull participation in the orld +includin' in 8od- and the orld itsel#, since e oe

our ver" existence and capacit" #or participation to the ulti$ate ori'in o# this orld) As herites in his diar"/ %noled'e is ithin bein', en#olded b" it& +19>, 11-) Althou'h !erleau:ont" does not share this theolo'ical conviction, he a'rees ith !arcel on a crucial point/ ourincarnation in the orld throu'h our bodies is the #unda$ental be'innin' o# our learnin' toinhabit the orld $eanin'#ull") As a result o# our bein' both in and o# the orld throu'h ourbodies, !erleau:ont" believes that on the hole our presentations o# the orld revealob.ective #eatures o# it)

The Ktra'icL ontolo'ies o# artre, de eauvoir and a$us, on the other hand, insist on theinhospitalit" o# the orld toards hu$an endeavours inso#ar as the orld is $ostl" reticent toour atte$pts at introducin' $eanin' and unit" into it) For a$us, the KabsurdL $ainl"desi'nates this resistance o# the orld to our endeavours) hilst e crave #or sense and

har$on", the orld has nothin' to oer but chaos and a rando$ pla" o# blind #orces) All oureorts to i$pose order and sense upon a orld that can ulti$atel" acco$$odate neither arethere#ore doo$ed to #ail) The absurd, then, deno$inates both the $ost #unda$ental state o# the orld and the absurdit" o# hu$an atte$pts at overco$in' this basic #act)

<oever, hilst a$us= KabsurdL na$es the essentiall" tra'ic state o# hu$anit", it iscounterbalanced b" his ae toards the indierent $a.est" o# 3ature) For a$us, one o# thea"s o# liberatin' onesel# #ro$ the illusion o# $eanin' and unit" is to open up to the beaut" o# 3ature and parta(e in it, abandonin' onesel# in privile'ed $o$ents o# hedonistic co$$unionith ild environ$ents, such as the ru''ed Al'erian landscape or the !editerranean, or ineroticis$ +19>a; see the $o$ents o# happiness in The @utsider, #or exa$ple, 19?2a, 2>D2?,116D117-)

artre, on the other hand, insists on the %dis'ustin'&, %nauseatin'& aspect o# a orld reticentto $eanin', order and beaut") <is 5rst novel, 3ausea, painsta(in'l" chronicles this ontolo'icaldis'ust toards the stran'eness o# the orld) A proered hand beco$es %a bi' hite or$,&a 'lass o# beer a hostile partner hose %'a4e& the hero atte$pts to avoid #or hal# an hour; apebble on the beach reveals the %nausea& that is co$$unicated #ro$ the orld %throu'h thehands)& Even here, hoever, aesthetic experiences tri''er so$e exceptional $o$ents inhich the hero $ana'es to escape ontolo'ical KnauseaL) This occurs, #or exa$ple, hen thenovel=s $ain character suddenl" hears a .a44 son' in a ca#M, hich, li(e a %band o# steel,&points to a dierent ti$e be"ond the drud'er" o# the ever"da" +artre 19>, 21D2>-)

!an" o# the existentialists= literar" creations atte$pt to describe the entan'le$ents o# hu$an#reedo$ in these #unda$ental ontolo'ical #eatures o# the orld) Ad$ittedl", this applies toso$e existentialist authors $ore than others) For instance, !arcel=s pla"s explore thediCculties that $odern individuals encounter in respondin' to the appeal o# transcendence,and in 'ivin' in to #aith and hope) ut these obstacles arise $ainl" #ro$ social institutions+notabl" around $arria'e- and historical events +the tra'ic circu$stances o# the 20th centur"and hat !arcel sees as the dan'erous ob.ectivis$ o# $odern societ"-) i$ilarl", deeauvoir=s novels tend to portra" individuals see(in' their true selves be"ond the strictures o# social $oralit") *n contrast, a 'reat part o# a$us= and artre=s literar" or( is dedicated todescribin' the diCculties that people #ace hen tr"in' to 5nd their place, not .ust in theirsocial, but also in their natural and $aterial environ$ents) As e have noted, so$e o# thebest(non passa'es in their literar" ritin's also describe $o$ents in hich the

obtrusiveness o# the orld is overco$e, "ieldin' eetin' "et subli$e experiences o# sensuousco$$union ith nature and others)

6) @ntolo'" o# the artor(



artre dre so$e particularl" interestin' conclusions #ro$ the de5nition o# the #unctions o# arton the basis o# an existentialist $etaph"sics) These conclusions relate to hat, inconte$porar" discussions, is called the Kontolo'"L o# the artor(/ the t"pe o# realit" o# theartor(=s dierent ele$ents and their internal relations) !i(el u#renne has $ost thorou'hl"pursued this ontolo'ical approach)

artre=s earl" texts on the i$a'ination alread" provided si'ni5cant insi'hts in that re'ard +inparticular, see u#renne=s len'th" discussions o# the$ in his The :heno$enolo'" o# Aesthetic

Experience, 197>-) The #reedo$ that characterises hu$an sub.ectivit" is $ani#ested $ostvividl" in a speci5c t"pe o# intentionalit"/ the i$a'inin' o# an ob.ect) *$a'ination exe$pli5esthe poer o# hu$an consciousness because it is a t"pe o# intentionalit" that posits in thesa$e act both the existence o# the ob.ect and its inexistence, since it %intends& it precisel" asa virtual ob.ect) *n i$a'ination, the ob.ect is indeed intended b" consciousness, but %asabsent&, as %containin' a certain part o# nothin'ness& inas$uch as it is posited as not existin'here and no +artre 19?0-) This distin'uishes it #ro$ the t"pe o# intentionalit" involved inperception, one o# the (e" aspects o# hich is precisel" the positin' o# its ob.ect as existent)

This e$phasis on the Kderealisin'L aspect o# the consciousness o# an i$a'e has i$portanti$plications #or the ontolo'ical status o# the artor() The real, $aterial ele$ents o# theartor( are, properl" spea(in', not the actual ele$ents on hich the aesthetic .ud'e$ent is

5xed) These are 5xed instead on a virtual ob.ect, i)e), the or(=s ideal Hualities, herein theor(=s $eanin', poer and beaut" are $ani#ested +artre 19?0, 21>; see also u#renne197>, >-) @n this account, the $aterial aspects o# the artor( are %occasions& #or the$ani#estation o# the ideal aspects) artre insists that one should re.ect an" suspicion o# dualis$ here/ %There is no realisation o# the i$a'inar", nor can e spea( o# itsob.ecti5cation,& +ibid)- as thou'h a prior $ental representation had been %ob.ecti5ed& andrealised in the actual artor() Bather, the %real& artor( has to sides/ a real and an %unreal&+irrMel, virtual, or ideal- side) These to are, hoever, indistin'uishable) %The paintin' shouldthen be conceived as a $aterial thin' visited #ro$ ti$e to ti$e b" an unreal hich is precisel"the painted ob.ect& +ibid; see u#renne 197>, >D1-) The real, sa"s artre, is the analo'ue o# the ideal) !erleau:ont" puts it in si$ilar ter$s, at 5rst in ter$s o# sense and nonsense, andlater on in ter$s o# the visible and the invisible/ the ideal content o# the artor( is %intransparenc" behind the sensible or in the heart o# the sensible)& *t %doubles up the li'hts andsounds #ro$ beneath, is their other side or their depth& +!erleau:ont" 196?a, 10D11, butalread" in 19?a, 12D1>-)

This 'eneral %ne'ative& di$ension o# the artor( +the #act that as an ideal ob.ect it is notreducible to the $aterialit" that carries it- applies also to each o# the artor(=s ele$ents andtheir relations +the colours and shapes in a paintin', the ords and sentences in a novel, andso on-) As e have seen, existentialist aesthetics 'enerall" insists on the unit" that artisticexpression brin's to the orld) As a conseHuence o# this e$phasis on or'anic unit", it see$sto propound a rather conventional i$a'e o# the aesthetic Hualities o# the artor( +see, #orexa$ple, #ro$ a theolo'icall" in#or$ed perspective, !arcel=s discussion o# the s"$phon" and

the #u'ue as exa$ples o# sel#enclosed %per#ection& P1960b, >D?Q-)

<oever, artre=s anal"ses o# the relationship beteen the artor(=s ele$ents shos that theinsistence on unit" as a criterion o# artistic beaut" is perhaps not as banal as it $i'ht sound)artre=s prear texts on the i$a'ination are especiall" in#or$ative on this topic) *n the$,artre shos the substantial relationship beteen the poer o# hu$an consciousness to%nihilate& the orld +to overloo( so$e o# its aspects and e$phasise others on the basis o# anexistential set o# values- and the internal coherence o# the artor(/

N each stro(e o# the brush +is- not #or itsel#, +N- it +is- 'iven to'ether ith an unreal +irrMel-s"nthetic hole and the ai$ o# the artist is to construct a hole o# real colours hich enablethis unreal to $ani#est itsel#) +N- *t is the con5'uration o# these unreal ob.ects that * desi'nate

as beauti#ul +artre 19?0, 216-) This i$plies that the consistenc" o# the existential pro.ect, #ro$ hich the orld is revealed ina special a", also co$$ands the consistenc" o# the artor() ut the Huote above alsoindicates the relation beteen the dierent ele$ents that $a(e up the overall co$position/ in



the end, ever" particular $aterial ele$ent that contributes to the 'eneral co$position isrelated to the others throu'h a relation o# ne'ativit")

The theor" o# $eanin' that underpins this vie o# the artor(=s structure thus see$s toanticipate a aussurean de5nition o# lan'ua'e) Fa$ousl", aussure anal"sed the #unctionin'o# lan'ua'e as a KdiacriticalL s"ste$ in hich each si'n oes its si'ni5cation not to asubstantial, onetoone relation beteen ord and re#erent, but rather to its place ithin theoverall lin'uistic s"ste$) asicall", a si'n $eans hat it $eans on the basis o# Knot bein'L an"

o# the other si'ns) Ko'L $eans hat it does because the si'ni5er +the $aterial sound- andthe si'ni5ed +the intended $eanin'- diers #ro$ all others, and especiall" the proxi$ateones/ Klo'L, K#o'L, K'odL, and so on; Kol#L, KcatL, and so on)

*n the sa$e $anner, the existentialist philosophers ho dedicated the $ost attention to thearticulation o# $eanin' +artre and !erleau:ont"- insist on the essentiall" diacritical essenceo# the aesthetic ele$ent in a 'iven co$position/ an ele$ent has aesthetic si'ni5cance on thebasis o# its relation to the other ele$ents, rather than oin' to an" substantial $eanin' o# itson) *t #ollos that, #or exa$ple, in a paintin' the pleasure derived #ro$ a particular colour inisolation #ro$ the rest o# the or( is not KaestheticL in the stron' sense but onl" in a loersense/ as a pleasure #or the senses onl") This also i$plies that o#ten the $eanin' andaesthetic poer o# a co$position +a text, a paintin' and so on- rests .ust as $uch on hat is

not said or not shon; hat lies inbeteen the ele$ents o# the co$position, rather than onthe ele$ents explicitl" shon) The existentialists all insist that $eanin' is lar'el" to be #oundin a certain #or$ o# silence) *n the case o# a novel/

N the literar" ob.ect, thou'h realised throu'h lan'ua'e, is never realised in lan'ua'e) @n thecontrar", it is b" nature a silence and a contestation o# speech) The hundred thousand ordsali'ned in a boo( can be read one b" one ithout the $eanin' o# the or( e$er'in';$eanin' is not the su$ o# the ords, but its or'anic totalit" +artre 19?a, >0-)

This $eans that the dierent ele$ents o# the artor( should not be approached separatel" orin their i$$ediate realit", but in ter$s o# ho the" #unction or'anicall", s"ste$aticall" andne'ativel") The colours in a paintin', and the choice o# ords and the rh"th$ o# sentences ina novel are all but traces, ellipses, elisions, and caesuras that su''est in the ne'ative, .ust as$uch as the ele$ents positivel" indicate the contours o# a certain perspective onto the orld)

7) Theor" o# expression The e$phasis on the capacit" o# hu$an consciousness to KderealiseL the orld a$ounts to ade#ence o# the creative #reedo$ o# the artist) The artor( is the $ost stri(in' exa$ple o# thepoer o# hu$an consciousness to turn toards the orld in such a a" that it ta(es in #ro$ itcertain ele$ents and blan(s out others, in accordance to a #unda$ental existential pro.ect)Artistic practice is one o# the $ost stri(in' de$onstrations o# hu$an #reedo$ because itshos ho hu$an practice can recreate +a$us, artre, de eauvoir, !erleau:ont"- orrecover +!arcel- a ne, $ore ordered orld out o# the 'iven orld) a$us oers a concise#or$ulation #or a central principle o# existentialist aesthetics/ %To rite is alread" to choose&

+a$us 191, 271-)

The existentialist philosophers did not re#rain #ro$ #or$ulatin' internal +aesthetic- andexternal +ethical and political- constraints to artistic practice, but their aesthetics#unda$entall" proclai$s the radical #reedo$ o# the artist, also seein' in it the privile'edexe$plar o# hu$an #reedo$ in 'eneral) a$us, #or exa$ple, $a(es artistic activit", thechoice o# beco$in' an artist, one o# the privile'ed $odes #or hu$ans to deal ith the absurd+a$us 19?2b, 6D-) !an" existentialist texts dedicated to aesthetic $atters e$phasisethe K$"ster"L o# creativit", the a$a4in' KsolutionL that an artor( represents, the K$iracle o# expressionL that elicits ad$iration #ro$ the audience and the philosopher)

ut radical #reedo$ is a$bi'uous, as it $ust or( ith a #acticit" +a ter$ the existentialists

adopted #ro$ <eide''er-, vi4), a set o# 'iven #actors +ph"sical, social and so on- that it has notcreated) *n the case o# the artist, the a$bi'uit" resides alread" in the decision and thepassion to beco$e an artist) Althou'h a set o# 'enetic and social preconditions inuences thatdecision, it is eHuall" the product o# an individual decision in that speci5c situation)



The or( o# art is cau'ht up in the sa$e a$bi'uit") @n the one hand, it is the #ree creation o# an unconstrained person, a purel" idios"ncratic expression o# an individualit") @n the other, itis constrained b" various #actors that exert inuence on its ver" structure/ the audience, thehistorical period that ill receive the or(, the $aterial ele$ents that $a(e up the artor(,and in particular, the alread" si'ni#"in' ele$ents that the artist reuses and reco$poses tocreate a ne or()

!erleau:ont"=s ritin's o# the 190s advance an ori'inal existentialist theor" o# expression

that addresses this latter di$ension in particular) *t can be ar'ued that this theor" o# expression captures and $a(es explicit thou'hts that a nu$ber o# other existentialist ritersshared on these Huestions)

*n The :rose o# the orld +196?-, !erleau:ont" proposed to stud" the ori'in and lo'ic o# $eanin' and $eanin''ivin' activit", o# si'ni5cation and expression, usin' the exa$ple o# literar" or(s +particularl" the novel-) tendhal provided hi$ ith a paradi'$atic case stud")uch an atte$pt to dra deep philosophical conclusions #ro$ artor(s is t"pical o# existentialist practice)

Firstl", the literar" or( can help us understand the pheno$enon o# $eanin' and $eanin''ivin' b" seein' the riter as creatin' ne $eanin's, indeed a ne lan'ua'e +a Jo"cean

version o# En'lish, a Flaubertian French, and so on- b" reco$posin' a lan'ua'e he or sheshares ith an entire historical co$$unit") This is a trul" a$bi'uous aspect that can be ta(en+on one hand- as the proo# o# the $"ster" o# expression, evidence o# a creative poerreHuired to $a(e possible the e$er'ence o# the ne out o# the old, hile +on the other hand-this ne is possible onl" on the basis o# the alread"instituted) ut this initial re$ar( points toa $uch deeper level; here, it is paintin' that oers the $ost precious indications) *ndiscussin' AndrM !alraux=s se$inal essa"s on the histor" o# paintin' +!alraux 19>-, !erleau:ont" articulated a detailed existentialist theor" o# $eanin' here the artor( pla"s thecentral role) The <usserlian $etaphor o# KperspectiveL is appropriated and trans#or$ed into a'eneral #or$ula #or both the poer o# perception and the $etaph"sical condition o# thehu$an bein')

*ntentionalit" can be said to coincide ith the establish$ent o# a perspective in a orld herethere is, prior to hu$an presence, none) For realit" to appear in all its dierent Hualities andstructures, hu$an consciousness is reHuired) hat distin'uishes the artist #ro$ otherlan'ua'eusers is the consistenc" and coherence o# a speci5c outloo( onto the orld) uchcoherent perspective introduces an ele$ent o# re'ularit" and structure in the chaos o# theorld) *t introduces directions/ a hi'h and a lo, a ri'ht and a le#t) That is, it introduces sense)

This lin( beteen artistic expression and $eanin' leads to a $a.or reevaluation o# the notiono# st"le) Bather than a super5cial a" o# #or$ulatin' $eanin's that re$ain unchan'ed b"their expression, st"le in this context no indicates a #unda$ental perspective #ro$ hich theorld can be approached; it indicates a perspective that ould not have existed prior to the

expressive act) *t desi'nates an %irreplaceable deviation& that is possible onl" #ro$ a speci5ca" o# bein'intheorld, and hich is subseHuentl" recaptured in s"$bolic lan'ua'e,hether the lin'uistic #or$ o# literature, or the %indirect lan'ua'e& o# paintin') t"le is acoherent perspective, a %coherent de#or$ation,& a a" o# bein'intheorld and o# approachin' the orld #ro$ a certain an'le) @n this $odel, st"le does not express preexistin'$eanin', but creates it) a$us, in the pa'es o# The Bebel devoted to the aestheticdi$ensions o# rebellion, developed a conco$itant conception o# artistic expression/

N unit" in art appears at the li$it o# the trans#or$ation hich the artist i$poses on realit") This correction, hich the artist i$poses b" his lan'ua'e and b" a redistribution o# theele$ents extracted #ro$ realit", is called st"le and 'ives the recreated universe its unit" andits boundaries +a$us 191, 270-)

This in turn 'ives a $ore speci5c $eanin' to the relation o# the ne and the old in expression) True expression +hether the 5rst 'enuine sel#expression o# the learnin' spea(er, a nescienti5c $eanin', or true artistic achieve$ent- is both totall" idios"ncratic, and a reco$position o# shared ele$ents; it trans#or$s the old) For true expression to occur, to #or$so# speech are thus reHuired/ %spea(in' speech& and %spo(en speech& +!erleau:ont", 19?a,



197-) This explains the pu44lin' #act that a true expression $ust be at once a true creation,so$ethin' unheard o#, and "et can be understood onl" i# the lan'ua'e it uses +natural,scienti5c or artistic- is (non) *n other ords, expression is ala"s also a #or$ o# co$$unication beteen one %spea(er& and the co$$unit" o# spea(ers) Assu$in' that!erleau:ont"=s anal"ses are representative o# vies that ere shared b" the otherexistentialist riters +see artre, 19?a, 6, in hich the 'er$ane concept o# %$ediation& isused; %co$$unication& is the central notion in !arcel=s philosoph" o# theatre-, e can notethat once a'ain existentialist aesthetics see$s at odds ith $an" $odern artistic currents,

hich have insisted on drain' a radical distinction beteen the #unctions and uses o# artisticand ever"da" lan'ua'es) For exa$ple, a $a.or poet and theorist o# literature li(e :aul RalMr"as inspired b" !allar$M=s #a$ous characterisation o# poetr" as %'ivin' a purer sense to theords o# the tribe)& e can also $ention surrealist and expressionist painters and 5l$directors ho sou'ht to brea( throu'h ever"da" i$a'er" in order to trans5'ure realit")

Artistic co$$unication also has a certain capacit" to transcend the a'es and cut acrosslan'ua'es) e"ond the historical situatedness o# artistic co$$unication +the #act that anartistic lan'ua'e reuses the lan'ua'e o# its conte$poraries-, the tas( o# 'ivin' sense on thebasis o# bein'intheorld is part o# the $etaph"sical condition o# bein' hu$an, and soapplicable to all hu$ans throu'hout histor") As a result, considerin' that art is a Khi'herde'reeL o# co$$unication, the or( o# art is not .ust a stri(in' exa$ple o# 'enuine

expression, but also exe$pli5es the #act that ever" act o# $eanin' is open to the past and the#uture o# other hu$an acts o# expression)

At this point, e can note a tension ithin the aesthetics o# $an" existentialist riters +atension that is Huite acute in artre=s or(- beteen the relative transhistorical$eanin'#ulness o# artor(s and their utter situatedness/ artor(s oer an i$a'e o# en'a'ed#reedo$ in particular situations that are trul" accessible onl" to its conte$poraries +artre19?a, 0D2-) !erleau:ont", #or his part, insists on the underl"in' unit" o# the histor" o# paintin', hich allos us to 5nd traces and echoes o# past painters in $odern ones) Thehistor" o# paintin' is a $icrocos$ic i$a'e o# histor", and a testa$ent to the capacit" o# present 'enerations to understand the actions and passions o# the past +!erleau:ont"196?b, 72-) !erleau:ont"=s vision o# the possibilit" o# e$path" across the a'es does notden" the historical relativit" o# sense #or$ations) *t shos ho, despite the spatiote$poraldistance that separates historical contexts, hu$ans can still understand each other, historianscan understand previous ti$es, anthropolo'ists other peoples, and e can so$eho accessso$e o# the $eanin's o# past artistic practices) The expressive achieve$ents o# otherpeoples are both radicall" alien, and "et the result o# expressive 'estures that areco$$ensurable to ours, inas$uch as the" are the product o# a co$$on hu$an capacit", vi4),the capacit" to transcend the natural orld and recreate it as a $eanin'#ul and ordereduniverse)

) The artistA central, shared assu$ption o# existentialist aesthetics, be"ond the star( reli'ious and

political dierences o# the existentialists, is the essential a$bi'uit" o# the hu$an condition/ *a$ radicall" #ree as consciousness, "et radicall" deter$ined b" $" #acticit", the ph"sical,social and other circu$stances in hich $" consciousness co$es to the orld) @n thisparticular point <eide''er=s existential anal"tic is a shared re#erence that brin's to'etherotherise diverse +or, indeed, anta'onistic- thin(ers) An i$portant i$plication o# thee$phasis on hu$an #acticit" is that it #or'es a vital lin( beteen philosoph" and the arts,hich #ro$ this perspective si$ilarl" ai$ to explore the $etaph"sical a$bi'uit" o# the hu$ancondition)

This 'rants the artist a special status #ro$ at least to standpoints/

1- Artistic activit" as an existential choice is a privile'ed $ode o# assu$in' and realisin' the

paradoxical nature o# bein' hu$an) *n a$us= ords, artistic activit" is one o# the (e"attitudes to #ace the absurd) a$us= celebration o# art in The !"th o# "siphus +19?2b, 127-,hich crons artistic expression as the ulti$ate #or$ o# %.o",& ould rin' true #or the otherexistentialists despite their noted dierences on the Huestion o# the absurd) *ndeed, $an"other existentialist riters $ade si$ilar state$ents reectin' their on li#e choices, in



particular their decision to pursue a philosophical and literar" career) The personal di$ensionthat can be #ound in $an" existentialist ritin's 'rants these texts a special status in thehistor" o# philosoph", since it blurs a boundar" that has been essential to the de5nition o# the'enre o# philosophical ritin', vi4), the boundar" beteen the theoretical and thebio'raphical, the personal and the 'eneral) !arcel=s %$etaph"sical diar"& is a 'ood case inpoint) !ore than .ust an ori'inal #or$ o# philosophical anal"sis, the diar" illustrates !arcel=son conception o# the true sel# as a 'radual aa(enin' to the %appeal& o# bein' throu'h theco$bined practices o# ontolo'ical inHuir", artistic creation and personal en'a'e$ent) artre

also rote an autobio'raphical account o# his discover" o# the orld o# ords, Ies !ots,ithout doubt one o# his $asterpieces) The sa$e can be said o# a$us= last narrative text, Iahute, hich $ixes autobio'raph" ith an ironical account o# his philosoph")

e"ond their on personal practice, the existentialists also 5nd philosophical si'ni5cance inthe lives o# 'reat artists, and are interested in the $o$ent the" chose to beco$e artists andho this pri$ordial choice un#olded over the course o# their lives) Artists provide paradi'$aticcase studies #or the paradoxes o# %existence& and %expression& +artre 19?7b, 1971-) *ndeed,this is true not .ust o# riters and painters but also o# actors) For a$us, in #act, actors arethose %ho dra the best conclusion& #ro$ the $etaph"sical truth o# hu$an existence+19?2b, 107-)

2- The artist=s activit" is also deepl" si'ni5cant in ter$s o# its poer o# articulatin' a coherentorld) Ever" person has to $a(e existential choices and has a need #or expression, but artistspresent particularl" pure and poer#ul exe$plars o# these #acets o# hu$an existence) Theirachieve$ents are orth" o# ad$iration because the" involve the creation o# virtual orlds)Ever" consciousness, ever" bein'intheorld is expressive, but onl" rarel" is this expressiontrul" ne) !ost o# the ti$e, hu$an expression is onl" the repetition o# instituted $eanin's, asin the Huasiauto$atic use o# spo(en lan'ua'e) @nl" the 'reat artists sho the poer o# expression in its purit", its neness and coherence) To recreate a virtual orld that can do

.ustice to the co$plexit" o# the real orld is an al$ost %$iraculous& #act, as !erleau:ont"sa"s o# M4anne) As e can see, the existentialists are no lon'er that #ar #ro$ the ro$anticsin hat respects their e$phasis on 'enius)

ince the expressive orld o# a 'enuine artist is a ne perspective onto the orld that isidentical ith the artist=s hole idios"ncratic $ode o# bein'intheorld, there ill be a deep,underl"in' continuit" in his or her or() The co$$unication that the or( o# art establishesacross ti$e and space operates, 5rst and #ore$ost, ithin the oeuvre itsel#, ith the$es andst"listic traits echoin' each other throu'hout it +a$us 19?2b, 102D10>; !erleau:ont"196?b, 67-) ut there is an inherent #atalis$ in artistic activit") Expressive activit" can onl"ever be an atte$pt at expression, and it is structurall" doo$ed to #ail because there is too$uch to reveal in the orld) The $eans o# expression are 5nite, and the" operate in a tisted$anner, .ust as $uch throu'h direct desi'nation as throu'h ellipse and allusion) This leadsa$us to conclude that creative activit", li(e all #ree activities, is in the end onl" anotherabsurd atte$pt at dealin' ith the absurdit" o# hu$an li#e +19?2b, 1>0-)

9) The audience The $etaph"sical aspects o# existentialist aesthetics i$pl" a certain theor" o# the audience)An essential a$bi'uit" characterises also the experience o# the audience) @n the one hand,the 'enuine artist creates a ne virtual orld that expresses a coherent, idios"ncraticperspective on the orld shared b" all) hen the audience $eets the artor( success#ull",the spectators suddenl" chan'e their on $ode o# perception and have to adopt a neperspective) To use a lin'uistic $etaphor, the tired, instituted lan'ua'e o# ever"da"co$$unication +Kspo(enL or sedi$ented lan'ua'e- is re.uvenated b" a Kspea(in'L lan'ua'e, atrue expression that i$poses itsel# on the audience +be it the reader or the spectator-)

There#ore, the artor(, in a sense, creates its on audience +!erleau:ont" 196?b, 6, andalso 121>; see also u#renne, 197>, 6>D71-)

3evertheless there is also an active side to artistic en.o"$ent, as in readin', #or exa$ple)ithout the spectator=s conte$plation, or the reader=s readin', the artor(=s expressionre$ains purel" sub.ective) *t beco$es ob.ective, $ani#estin' its sense in actualit", onl"throu'h the s"$bolic consu$ption o# the audience) This act, hoever, is not passive/ it



$obilises the audience=s on poer o# expression and i$a'ination) Beadin', atchin', orlistenin' are, as artre puts it, %directed creations&/ %To rite is to $a(e an appeal to thereaders that the" lead into ob.ective existence the revelation hich * +the artist- haveunderta(en b" $eans o# lan'ua'e& +artre 19?a, >2; u#renne 197>, ?7D60-) !arcel=sconception o# the theatre as an experience o# Kco$$unionL also i$plies this activeparticipation o# the audience)

The a$bi'uit" o# aesthetic experience is lin(ed directl" to the above $entioned theor" o# the

ne'ativit" o# the expressive $eans) The or( o# art #unctions hen it is able to de5ne acoherent perspective onto the orld, "et this perspective is $ainl" de5ned in the ne'ative, asthe trace o# iterable and consistent attitudes in the orld) There#ore, the spectator is reHuiredto translate the traces, caesuras and elisions that ne'ativel" de5ned the ne orld o# expression into positive traits/ %N the i$a'ination o# the spectator has not onl" a re'ulative#unction but a constitutive one) *t does not pla"/ it is called upon to reco$pose the beauti#ulob.ect be"ond the traces le#t b" the artist& +artre 19?a, >>-)

A $etaphor artre and !erleau:ont" e$plo" #reHuentl" is that o# the to sides o# theartor(, co$parable to the to sides o# a $irror) The artist onl" sees his or her on or( #ro$the inside; he or she lives the artor( in a sense, since the expressive poer is rooted in anidios"ncratic #or$ o# bein'intheorld) For the or( to beco$e an ob.ective entit" ith a

$ani#est $eanin', the understandin' and i$a'ination o# the audience needs to reconstructthe $eanin'#ul silence in beteen the traces) And this understandin' cannot be passive,since the trul" expressive $eanin' involves a ne #or$ o# bein'intheorld) The spectatoror reader is called upon to eectuate the sa$e ori'inal $ode o# bein'intheorld/ %*# he is ariter, that is, i# he (nos ho to 5nd the ellipses, elisions and caesuras o# conduct, thereader ill respond to his appeal and $eet hi$ at the centre o# the i$a'inar" orld heani$ates and rules& +!erleau:ont" 196?b, 9-) @nce a'ain, a (e" #eature o# aestheticexperience is co$$unication, the KechoL that a sub.ective attitude to the orld 5nds in others)

10) The existentialist %s"ste$ o# the arts& This vision o# the artor( as a privile'ed $ediu$ o# expression and co$$unication +in thesubstantive, $etaph"sical senses 'iven to these ords in existentialist philosoph"- leads to arelativel" coherent approach to the dierent art #or$s, so$ethin' li(e a loose existentialistKs"ste$ o# the arts)L A s"ste$ o# the arts explains not .ust hat art is in essence, see(in' ade5nition o# art and deter$inin' its social, political or philosophical #unvtions) *t also ran(s thearts in a hierarch", 'ivin' an account o# ho each #or$ uses speci5c $aterial and expressive$eans to #ul5l those #unctions) *n the end, one art#or$ in particular is usuall" re'arded asprivile'ed, exe$plar" o# the $ode o# #ul5llin' the $ission o# art) All classical philosophicalaesthetics, #ro$ ant and his i$$ediate #olloers to Alain, have presented their on, $ore orless developed %s"stS$e des beauxarts& +Alain 1920, 3atanson 196-)

10)1 TheatreFor $ost o# the existentialists, theatre is the pri$e art #or$, i)e), the one that best allos the

artist to use his or her #reedo$ to create a virtual orld that si$ultaneousl" appeals to theaudience=s on #reedo$ +re'ardless o# ho e de5ne that #reedo$, theolo'icall" orpoliticall"-) For a$us, de eauvoir, !arcel and artre, philosophical activit" and reco'nitionas pla"ri'hts ere inti$atel" lin(ed +8oldthorpe 196-) !arcel de5ned hi$sel# as%philosophedra$atur'e& +philosopherdra$atist, see Ia4aron 197-, to insist on hat as,#or hi$, an indissoluble unit" beteen philosophical $editation and pla"ritin') *ndeed, it isell orth notin' that, apart #ro$ de eauvoir +hose sin'le atte$pt at ritin' #or the theatreas not ver" success#ul Psee de eauvoir 19?b and 1962, 672D67>Q-, the" ere all eHuall"#a$ous as pla"ri'hts and as philosophers in their ti$e)

Ar'uabl", artre=s theoretical reections on the theatre o# his ti$e have re$ained the $ostidel" read toda") *n describin' hat ere #or hi$ the de5nin' #eatures o# existentialist

theatre, artre also ai$ed to identi#" so$e o# the $ain aspects o# theatre itsel#) As these#eatures are 'rounded in his theor" o# #reedo$, theatre is, #or artre, the art par excellence)

The identi5cation o# art in 'eneral ith the theatre is alread" evident in the #act that the sa$eord D KsituationL si$ultaneousl" encapsulates the $etaph"sical position o# the hu$an



bein'intheorld, and su$$arises theatre=s core aesthetic ele$ent +artre 197>, >-) Theto Kene$iesL in French existentialis$, artre and !arcel, a'ree on the centralit" o# theconcept o# Ksituation)L hat is literatureG had de5ned the $ission o# literature as the atte$pt%to reveal the orld and particularl" to reveal $an to other $en so that the latter $a"assu$e #ull responsibilit" be#ore the ob.ect hich has been thus laid bare& +artre 19?a, 1?-)entred as it is on the praxis o# real hu$an bein's con#ronted ith the contradictions o# concrete situations, theatre is the best $ediu$ to present in puri5ed #or$ the tra'icresponsibilit" o# hu$an #reedo$, the #act that %e are conde$ned to be #ree& in a orld

inhospitable to our pro.ects)

This e$phasis on action and situation leads to a series o# hi'hl" prescriptive rules, as e seein the criteria that artre ould use in his critiHues o# conte$porar" theatre ritin' andproduction) To rise to the tas( o# achievin' a %theatre o# situations,& ritin' and production$ust resist the te$ptation o# #ocusin' on the characters; the" need to present archet"picalsituations in hich hu$an #reedo$ is $ost radicall" at sta(e, notabl" throu'h dierent t"peso# universal Kconicts o# ri'hts)L Theatre needs to avoid ps"cholo'" and concentrate on action+in clear contrast to !arcel=s theatre, hich is $ainl" concerned ith sta'in' conicts o# innerconscience-; it $ust be ar" o# a realistic approach that $i'ht ta(e the #ocus aa" #ro$ theviolence o# the conicts) For the sa$e reason, the duration o# the pla" and the nu$ber o# thecharacters $ust be reduced) The sta'e $ust be e$pt" and the lan'ua'e $ust be direct but

nonrealistic, co$pressin' the acuteness o# the situation as poer#ull" as possible) *n short,existentialist theatre explicitl" intends to return to a 8ree( conception, atte$ptin' to presentconte$porar" %$"ths& in a orld ithout 'ods +artre 197>-)

ut the situations, precisel", are situated/ the" ala"s ta(e place in speci5c social andpolitical contexts) The $"ths that the theatre presents, there#ore, have to te$poraldi$ensions/ 1- ecause the" are about distin'uishin' #eatures o# hu$an Kbein',L the" have,li(e 8ree( and orneillian tra'ed", a transhistorical appeal; the" are pla"s about hu$an#reedo$ in 'eneral) This explains the classical bent o# $an" existentialist pla"s) Thus, it$a(es per#ect sense to sta'e the conundru$s o# $odern, absurd #reedo$ throu'h the 5'ureo# ali'ula, as a$us does in one o# his $ost #a$ous pla"s) 2- The situation is ala"s aspeci5c one, particularl" a speci5c social and political circu$stance, ith its speci5c conict o# ri'hts) *n the "ears #olloin' the econd orld ar, the conict o# ri'hts is idel" understoodas the conict beteen liberal ri'hts and the socialist ideal) All the existentialists a'reed onthis, ith the notable exception o# !arcel) The Kco$$unist HuestionL +o# hether to e$bracethe proposed co$$unist solution to the proble$s #acin' the orld in 19?the date o# publication o# hat is IiteratureG- as one o# the $ost ur'ent political Huestions #or the$)!ore 'enerall", e can $ention the Huestion o# the value o# individual en'a'e$ent asopposed to en'a'e$ent in a collective $ove$ent +a Huestion at the centre o# !alraux=snovels, notabl" his <u$an ondition, hich approaches the existentialist aesthetic-, and theplace o# individual #reedo$ in an a'e o# conict beteen 'lobal #orces) These Huestions ereat the #ore#ront o# existentialist concerns hen the" devised their aesthetics, and rote theirpla"s and novels)

e have noted the si$ilarit" beteen artre and !arcel re'ardin' their e$phasis on thenotion o# situation) Althou'h artre noted other #eatures o# existentialist theatre that #or$all"appl" to !arcel=s pla"s, there are star( dierences in their approach to pla"ritin') hereas#or artre the ulti$ate .usti5cation o# theatre is political, #or !arcel it is $etaph"sical/ it is aHuestion o# 5ndin' salvation and hope, and sa#e'uardin' the possibilit" o# #aith) Uet, li(eartre=s, !arcel=s pla"s sta'ed the speci5c proble$s o# the a'e as he sa the$, e)'), ho therise o# technolo'" brin's about a reductive attitude to the orld and especiall" to otherhu$an bein's, the atrocities o# the centur", and the $oral disorientation o# $odernindividuals) espite his $etaph"sical opti$is$, !arcel=s theatre shares ith otherexistentialist pla"s a patentl" so$bre $ood) <e ants to depict %the dra$a o# the soul inexile, o# the soul that suers #ro$ its lac( o# co$$union ith itsel# and ith others& +:re#ace

to Trois#ontaines 19>, >-) !arcel=s pla"s consistentl" portra" a creepin' #eelin' o# absurdit"that be#alls the $ain characters) *t is a #or'otten #act that !arcel rote $ore pla"s than an"o# the other existentialists)

10)2 The novel



The novel co$es ver" close to theatre as the art#or$ o# choice #or the existentialists) For$ost existentialists, the ulti$ate $odels ere not philosophers, but conte$porar" novelists;to o# ho$ ere especiall" paradi'$atic, vi4), ostoievs(" and a#(a) artre, de eauvoirand a$us sa the$selves in eHual $easure as riters o# 5ction and as philosophers) The"en'a'ed ith each other=s 5ctional or( at least as $uch, i# not $ore, than ith theirtheoretical one +a$us 19>b, 19>9, artre 19?>b-) *ndeed, as alread" noted, 5ction andautobio'raphical ritin's ere direct applications o# their philosophical visions) %To thin( is tocreate a orld,& rites a$us, shoin' the deep identit" beteen philosophical and 5ctional

creation +a$us 19?2b, 7D91-) The reason is the sa$e as ith theatre/ narrative 5ction,#ocused on a series o# KsituationsL in hich the #unda$ental existential choices #acin' hu$anbein's can be care#ull" sta'ed, is a poer#ul $ode o# en'a'in' the #ree i$a'ination o# thereader, and thus o# callin' hi$ or her to action/ %hat in #act is a novel but a universe inhich action is endoed ith #or$G& +a$us 191, 26>-) The novel is a revelation o# theorld, notabl" in its social and political ur'enc", b" a #reedo$ #or other #reedo$s) As !erleau:ont" rites in %!etaph"sics and the 3ovel&/ %*ntellectual or(s had ala"s been concernedith establishin' a certain attitude toard the orld, o# hich literature and philosoph", li(epolitics, are .ust dierent expressions; but onl" no Pthan(s to existentialist philosoph"Q hasthis concern beco$e explicit& +!erleau:ont" 19?c, 27; see also a$us 19?2b, 92 and 191,2D267-)

*n existentialist aesthetics, artistic activit" and its products have external ai$s/ to reveal theorld to others, both in a $etaph"sical and political sense) As noted, this aesthetic theor"there#ore conicts ith the notion that the artor( is an end in itsel#, or that st"le and #or$are sel#.usti5ed) Thus, the existentialists ere deepl" suspicious o# so$e o# the $ain artistic$ove$ents o# the ti$e, particularl" urrealis$, even i# so$e o# the$ ad$ired its rebelliousspirit +a$us 191, D100-; or, later on, the 3ouveau Bo$an +Alain Bobbe8rillet, 3athaliearraute and laude i$on- and the literature that as developed around the poststructuralist .ournal Tel Vuel +de eauvoir, in Francis and 8ontier, 226, 2>>D2>?-) o$paredith adais$, urrealis$, and the literar" avant'ardes that i$$ediatel" #olloed theexistentialist era, existentialist aesthetics has an outdated, al$ost conservative air to it) *tunabashedl" calls #or a ne classicis$ so$ehere beteen #or$alis$ and realis$ +either inits naturalist or socialist versions-, and be"ond ro$anticis$ +a$us 19?? and 191, 26D271-, on the 'rounds that the $oral and political di$ensions o# literature consist not .ust in arebellion a'ainst ever"da" lan'ua'e and the socialpolitical order o# the da", but also in the$ore de$andin' +"et $odest- tas( o# properl" na$in' the orld in order to unveil thei$$ense in.ustice rei'nin' in it, hile also retrievin' its eetin' and inhu$an beaut" +a$us191, 272D279-) *n his proli5c or( as literar" critic, artre consistentl" re.ected #or$alis$and %art #or art=s sa(e,& even in the case o# illustrious French riters such as !allar$M orFlaubert) <oever, it can also be ar'ued that, #ro$ the perspective o# the relation beteenpolitics and arts in the 20th centur", the existentialist de$and that art retain a stron'connection to ever"da" realit" +so as to #ul5l its $oral and political roles- is also co$pletel" o# its ti$e)

The conde$nation o# %art #or art=s sa(e& applies to all the arts and has i$portantrepercussions #or aesthetic critiHue and the conception o# st"le) The existentialists ta(e 'reatpains to note that their re.ection o# #or$alis$, puris$ and autotelis$ in the arts does nota$ount to advocatin' a crude version o# realis$ +a$us 191, 26D270; artre 19?a, ??-)As e have noted alread" in the case o# theatre, the classical aspect o# existentialistaesthetics i$pacts on the choice o# st"listic $eans/ %@ne is not a riter #or havin' chosen tosa" certain thin's, but #or havin' chosen to sa" the$ in a certain a") And to be sure, thest"le $a(es the value o# the prose) ut it should pass unnoticed& +artre 19?a, 1-)

Further$ore, the existentialist de5nitions o# $eanin' as ne'ativit", and o# expression asKcoherent distortionL, $ean that st"listic achieve$ent +the abilit" to let ne sense berevealed- relies as $uch on the choice o# ords and s"ntax as on the KsilencesL and o$issions

that de5ne an expressive 'esture)

10)> :oetr"ith their e$phasis on action in situations, the existentialists have an uneas" relationship topoetr") @nl" a$us, #olloin' the exa$ple o# 3iet4sche, rote a nu$ber o# poe$s +in his



"outh ritin's and his noteboo(s, a$us 19>>, 19>D19?1-) *n $an" passa'es in a$us,poetr" has a positive connotation) This connotation, hoever, re#ers to a speci5c Hualit" o# lan'ua'e, vi4), the use o# vivid i$a'es that $ana'e to conve" so$e truth about the hu$ancondition, rather than to the $erits o# poetr" as a speci5c literar" #or$)

For artre, the stance o# 19th centur" novelists ho en'a'ed in Kart #or art=s sa(eL is not toodissi$ilar to the proble$atic a" $odern poets approach lan'ua'e) *n #act, artre=s studieson to o# the $a.or French poets o# the 19th centur", audelaire and !allar$M, are tin'ed

ith the sa$e disapprobation as his i$$ense stud" o# Flaubert +artre 19?7b, 192b, 1971D72-) !odern poetr" #or artre is, in the 5nal anal"sis, a $is'uided use o# lan'ua'e) *t useslan'ua'e as an end in itsel#, a thin', the sa$e a" that a painter uses colour) This i'nores the#act that in lan'ua'e the relationship beteen $aterialit" and si'ni5cation is the inverse tohat is the case in other artistic $edia) Ian'ua'e is, #or the existentialists, the #avouredartistic $ediu$ because, as the $ode o# expression that is $ost directl" a $ediu$ o# si'ni5cation, it is the one that best reveals a situation as situation in the stron' sense, vi4), asa part o# the orld here hu$an #reedo$ is directl" en'a'ed $etaph"sicall", ethicall" andpoliticall") :oets, on the other hand, %are $en ho re#use to utilise lan'ua'e) 3o, since theHuest #or truth ta(es place in and b" lan'ua'e conceived as a (ind o# instru$ent, it isunnecessar" to i$a'ine that the" ai$ to discern or expound the true) 3or do the" drea$ o# na$in' the orld& +artre 19?a, -) *n their use o# lan'ua'e, $odern poets see$ to overloo(

and act a'ainst the $ain Hualities that the existentialists 'rant it, na$el", its representativeand co$$unicative poers) This explains h" poetr" re$ains at the $ar'ins o# theexistentialist s"ste$ o# the arts, as a literar" 'enre that is not as e$inentl" philosophical andpolitical as the theatre and the novel) The existentialists are, once a'ain, sHuarel" at oddsith the surrealists, ho conde$ned the novel and sa in poetr" the real artistic $ediu$)

The existentialists $ade, hoever, so$e notable exceptions) a$us, #or exa$ple, rote avibrant revie o# the or( o# BenM har +a$us 19>D19>6-, and sa in the or( o# Francis:on'e an e$inent illustration o# the tas( o# literature in the absurd situation o# postarFrance +a$us 19?>-) artre also dedicated a lon' and lar'el" positive revie to the or( o# Francis :on'e, seein' in it a (ind o# pro#ane pheno$enolo'" +artre 19?? in 19?7a-) Thispositive assess$ent $i'ht ell have rested on a $isunderstandin', since :on'e see$ed tohave had the exact opposite vie o# lan'ua'e as artre, and re'arded poetr" precisel" as the#or$ that ould best be able to %na$e the orld& and $a(e hu$an #reedo$ #ace itsresponsibilit")

10)? 3onlin'uistic arts/ paintin' and $usic The existentialists= lac( o# interest in poetr" +hich, in the case o# artre especiall", turns intooutri'ht dis$issal- is based on their vie that poets $a(e a $is'uided use o# lan'ua'e) Forthe sa$e reason, the other nondiscursive arts attract al$ost as little interest as poetr"+hoever, see a$us 191, 27-) Uet, hen the" are discussed, the" are treated $ore#avourabl" than poetr", since the" do not have lan'ua'e as their $ediu$, and this $eansthat the accusation a'ainst poetr" beco$es irrelevant) The e$phasis on lan'ua'e as the

e$inent $ediu$ #or the representation o# hu$an #reedo$ reproduces a classical ar'u$entthat is alread" at the heart o# <e'el=s aesthetics +a #act that the existentialists are #ull" aareo# Partre 19?a, Q-) The i$plication #or the other arts is that the" are able to produce andconve" ideal contents, $eanin' and beaut", but that these are never as transparentl"accessed as in lin'uistic expression) Bather, the ideal content in nonlin'uistic art#or$sre$ains trapped, 'lued, as it ere, in the $aterialit" o# the artor(/ %N it is one thin' to or(ith colour and sound, and another to express onesel# b" $eans o# ords) 3otes, colours, and#or$s are not si'ns) The" re#er to nothin' exterior to the$selves) +N- As !erleau:ont" haspointed out in The :heno$enolo'" o# :erception, there is no Hualit" o# sensation so bare thatit is not penetrated ith si'ni5cance) ut the di$ little $eanin' hich dells ithin it, a li'ht

.o", a ti$id sadness, re$ains i$$anent or tre$bles about li(e a heat $ist; it is colour orsound& +artre 19?a, 1-)

This see$s to introduce so$e i$portant dierences a$on'st the existentialists, since!erleau:ont", #or instance, clai$ed that all art #or$s #unction li(e lan'ua'e) ut !erleau:ont" a'rees ith artre on the i$portant dierences beteen art #or$s) The :rose o# theorld established that there as a sin'le source behind all acts o# expression, hich $ade



the$ co$$ensurable to lan'ua'e, onl" to ac(noled'e the speci5cit" o# lan'ua'e in a$anner si$ilar to artre=s) For exa$ple, the %voices& in paintin' a $etaphor #or the idealcontent o# paintin' are Kvoices o# silenceL that spea( onl" an Kindirect lan'ua'eL +the titleso# !alraux=s #a$ous studies on the histor" o# paintin'-) That is to sa", the" re$ain attached totheir speci5c $aterialit", $a(in' the or( a sel#enclosed orld) *n !erleau:ont"=s repeated$etaphor, ever" painter starts the histor" o# paintin' a#resh +1960, >09D>11- because thesa$e visible orld calls #or an in5nite nu$ber o# expressive variations, each sin'ular in itsdeter$inate coherence) The histor" o# paintin', there#ore, is indeed $ade up o# constant

echoes and crisscrosses, ith each 'eneration revisitin' the visual the$es and techniHues o# the past 'enerations, but the co$$unication a$on'st the or(s are hapha4ard, indirect, andcannot be accu$ulated) There is no pro'ress in the histor" o# paintin') *n lan'ua'e, on theother hand, $eanin's acHuired #ro$ the past are sedi$ented in current $eanin's and allo#or the dialectic o# spo(en and spea(in' speech discussed earlier +!erleau:ont" 196?b, 9711>-) This $eans that the $aterial o# literature carries ith it the sedi$ented historicalexperiences o# the li#eorlds it spea(s about) There is no pro'ress in literature either, not in asense co$parable to scienti5c pro'ress, but the novel, si$pl" b" usin' the lan'ua'e o# theli#eorld it arises #ro$, is a direct itness o# the broader historical narrative in hich it ise$bedded) As a result, it can portra" ethical and political situations ver" poer#ull")

:recisel", the poet=s sin is to treat lan'ua'e as thou'h it ere a sound or a note; it is to treat

lan'ua'e as a thin' and to revere its $aterialit") This i'nores the nature o# lin'uisticexpression, in hich the si'ns $ust be traversed toards their si'ni5cation) The reverse erroris that o# :aul lee, ho, accordin' to artre, uses colour both as si'n and as ob.ect +19?a,2>-) The existentialist s"ste$ o# the arts is ordered accordin' to the <e'elian principle herearts that involve lan'ua'e rule over the others, because the" best express hu$an #reedo$)

*n artre=s hat is IiteratureG this apparent disdain #or the $aterialit" o# paintin' see$s atodds ith another aesthetic principle o# the existentialists, na$el", the capacit" o# art toitness the obtrusiveness o# the orld, and, in exceptional $o$ents o# aesthetic co$$union,its inhu$an beaut") *ndeed, in a #e, s$aller texts o# artre=s +#or exa$ple, those he rote #orexhibition openin's- he see$s to return to this aspect o# the artor(, hich he hi$sel# had sopoer#ull" de$onstrated in his 5rst novel) <oever, it is true that the existentialists are $oreinterested in the a"s in hich hu$an bein's sort out the entan'le$ents o# their #reedo$ inthe absurd orld, than in the depiction o# the $aterialit" o# that orld) !erleau:ont"=s textson the ontolo'ical 'randeur o# M4anne=s paintin' are not representative o# existentialaesthetics 'enerall", but reect onl" that author=s uniHue perspective on art and ontolo'")

!usic, hich in so$e classical s"ste$s o# the arts +in chopenhauer and 3iet4sche, #orexa$ple- is the hi'hest and $ost $etaph"sical, also receives an a$bi'uous treat$ent inexistentialist aesthetics) *n The !"th o# is"phus, #or exa$ple, a$us see$s to be sa"in' thatit is the absurd art par excellence because it realises in the purest #or$ hat all art consciouso# the absurd should be about, na$el", the %triu$ph o# the esh& in the absence o# an"ulti$ate $eanin'/

N that 'a$e the $ind pla"s ith itsel# accordin' to set and $easured las ta(es place in thesonorous co$pass that belon's to us and be"ond hich the vibrations nevertheless $eet inan inhu$an universe) There is no purer sensation) +N- The absurd $an reco'nises as his onthese har$onies and these #or$s +a$us 19?2b, 91-)!arcel o#ten e$phasised the extent to hich $usic had pla"ed a si'ni5cant role in hisphilosophical inspiration) <e as #a$ous #or his i$provisations on classical 19th centur"poe$s, hich his i#e noted a#ter the econd orld ar) e sa earlier that artre in a#a$ous passa'e o# 3ausea had described an encounter ith .a44 $usic in a ca#M as a subli$eexperience in hich the beauti#ul inner coherence o# the $usical o transcended #or a$o$ent the nauseatin' $eanin'lessness o# the $aterial orld) And note also de eauvoir=slate enthusias$ #or $usic +in Francis and 8ontier 1979, 67-)

espite these descriptions o# $usic as a privile'ed $eanin'#ul experience in an absurd orld,none o# the existentialists has underta(en an" sustained anal"sis on the relationship beteen$usic, philosoph" and the existential condition) a$us interprets positivel" the #or$alit" o# $usic, its lac( o# discursivit" and the abstraction o# its relation to the orld o# esh +see also



his earl" essa" in a$us 19>D19>6-, #eatures that the latter !erleau:ont" interpretsne'ativel"; but, in the end, the existentialist riters do not 'ive $usic an" detailedconsideration)

10) ine$a The $ost pu44lin' aspect about the existentialists= s"ste$s o# the arts is their relative lac( o# interest, in their $ost #a$ous ritin's at least, in cine$a, the privile'ed art #or$ o# the 20thcentur") @# all the arts, this ould have been the one that ould appear to have trul" been

able to present Ksituations)L

*n the case o# artre, this is all the $ore surprisin' 'iven the inti$ate association o# artreith cine$a at $an" points in his li#e) everal passa'es in de eauvoir=s and artre=sautobio'raphical ritin's attest to their shared enthusias$ #or the ne art +artre 196?-) Thepro#ound inuence o# 5l$ on the "oun' artre is ell docu$ented in his earl" ritin's, herehe de$onstrates 'reat sensitivit" toards the #or$al and political potentialities o# the ne$ediu$, in contrast to $ost o# the French intelli'entsia o# the ti$e +artre 192?, 19>1-)*ndeed, these earl" texts credit cine$a ith precisel" the sa$e capacities o# expression thatare later 'ranted to theatre, such as the capacit" to present action, the necessar" "eta$bi'uous necessit" o# en'a'e$ent and the capacit" o# artistic expression to represent the$asses to the $asses) Iiterar" criticis$ has established to hat extent artre atte$pted to

reproduce in literar" #or$ the techniHues e$plo"ed b" cine$a in the representation o# ti$e,space and internal states o# consciousness, and speci5call" ho such an inuence as crucialin his 5rst $a.or or(, 3ausea +Johnson 19?-)

urin' the ar, artre as e$plo"ed as a script riter b" a production co$pan" #or ho$ herote ei'ht scripts) To o# these ere published a#ter the ar +artre 19?7c, 19?b-, and too# the$ ere 5l$ed) !ost o# these scripts provided the $aterial #or artre=s pla"s and novelshen their realisation #ailed) *n 19, he also rote to scripts #or 5l$s on Freud and JosephIe on) artre also rote telve articles on 5l$ in total, notabl" a critiHue o# iti4en ane in19?, hich inspired a response b" AndrM a4in that as to beco$e one o# his $ost #a$ousessa"s +a4in 19?7-) e eauvoir also recounts the deep i$pact that the cine$aticexperience had on artre=s ontolo'ical vies) Accordin' to her, the cine$atic representationo# hu$an actions hosta'e to the orld=s poer o# resistance as a crucial source o# inspiration #or his $ature ontolo'", notabl" #or his vision o# the absurdit" inherent in theorld=s contin'enc" +de eauvoir 1960-)

espite this inti$ate connection ith cine$a, the enthusias$ that is apparent in the earl"texts receded in the bac('round a#ter his discover" o# pheno$enolo'" in 19>>, #olloin' hisstud" "ear in 8er$an" +de eauvoir 1962, 2>1-) A#ter that date, cine$a no lon'er #eatures asan i$portant art #or$ in his aesthetic ritin's) *ndeed, in a 19 con#erence, artre explicitl"ran(s theatre above cine$a because it %has $ore #reedo$,& as %a 5l$ depicts $en ho arein the orld and are conditioned b" it,& hereas %theatre presents action b" a $an on thesta'e to $en in the audience, and, throu'h this action, both the orld he lives in and the

per#or$er o# the action& +artre 1976, 60D61-) *n other ords, theatre is the true art o# #reedo$ in situations) i$ilarl", in later "ears, de eauvoir explicitl" ran(ed the novel overcine$a #or its capacit" to %$aterialise the presence o# hu$an bein's to hu$an bein's& +deeauvoir Huoted in Francis and 8ontier 1979, 200-) As ith the 3ouveau Bo$an, artre andde eauvoir ere Huite reserved toards the 3ouvelle Ra'ue, the ne French cine$a o# the1960s +ibid)-)

Bather than artre, it is !erleau:ont" ho 'ave the $ost lucid exposition o# the evident lin(beteen cine$a and existentialist philosoph" in a con#erence at the 3ational chool o# ine$a in :aris +19?7b-) espite this insi'ht#ul text, hoever, co$pared ith the e$inentphilosophical status that is bestoed upon theatre, the novel +and paintin' #or the late!erleau:ont"-, as the trul" %$etaph"sical& art #or$s, cine$a is re$ar(abl" absent #ro$ the

$ost i$portant existentialist ritin's in aesthetics)

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Existentialist Aesthetics