Style and "Substance"Main MenuPhilosophy and the ArtsWhat can philosophy do for the arts?Ontological FractalOntological MappingArt CommentaryStudent ObservationsArchaic Eternal ReturnPresocratic ClassicalSocratic Late ClassicalPlatonicNominalist RenaissanceAneesah Ettressaef5effc74a7015f877dd59f557cf7172f5a72eaJmedina29ac3fc10003fb639ac412984b59b01a5b826e161Ian Lehineb028c384a69e4b92166e7791b002fa3f2cee5818Published by Aneesah Ettress
12017-06-14T13:13:16-07:00Presocratic Hercules4by Peter Johnsonplain2017-06-14T13:22:00-07:00The depiction of Hercules and the Nemean Lion can be viewed in relation to Presocratic thought and the worldview it constructed. The primary element in this work which embodies this is the contact between the figures of Hercules and the Lion . This mode of style conveys the immanent theory put forth in Presocratic thought which established a distinct move away from the previous archaic ontology. As seen on the vase, there is no distinct separation, no untouchable divinity far above humanity, instead the world is full of gods. This immanence relates to a system of whole and part which is a central aspect of this thought, which can again be seen in the work of art in the separation of the limbs and heads of the two figures contrasted with the absolute unity of the figures into one. The medium of a vase, as well as the manner in which the figures are arranged, encaptures the sense of opposition as a central principle in this tradition of thought. The vase as a cylindrical object has no ending and can be circled around to show the all of the figures on it continuously and repeatedly. The lion and Hercules are at conflict literally, but their representation also creates two oppositional vectors. The form of the vase then forces this conflict of vectors to resolve into a continuous unity, imparting part of the concept of the cosmos for the Presocratics.
