Heidegger - Summary of The Origin of the Work of Art

Précis for Martin Heidegger “The Origin of Work of Art.”

            What is art, and how do we derive meaning from it?  We tend to consider art objects as things unto themselves, but there is more to them.  This essay is intended to explore the essence of objects, and how art infuses them with meaning.  Along the way, we will gain greater insights to objects, their relations to us and we will discover the essence of creating great works of art.  Rather than using established theories, we will begin our explorations through observations of a common object: The peasant shoes as painted by Van Gogh.

            The quality of an object is derived from its utility.  In this case, the shoe’s utility is revealed when the peasant is using the shoes.  As we observe the shoes, we begin to associate their relationship to the peasant.  The association between objects and people is called reliability.  Through the artwork, we gain perspectives of the peasant’s life, work and environment, and we gain insights to the equipmental quality, or essence, of the shoes.  It is through utility and reliability that the truth of the shoes is disclosed.

            If the essence of a thing is found in its utility and reliability, then it is art’s function to reveal the essence of things, or their truths.   We have found that the essence of a thing does not lie in its physical structure; it lies in its utility.  This means the truth lies within the shoes themselves, and not in our preconceived notions of the shoes.  So how does art work?   Art works by disclosing an objects relation to human existence, or reliability.

            “Art works universally to display a thingly character, albeit in a wholly distinct way.” To find the work in art, it must be removed from everything that related to its construction.  This includes the artist and all accompanying associations with the artist.  Ideas of how works are presented, housed, sold and criticized must also be eliminated.  All of these functions pertain to the art object, but they do not its essence.

            The essence of art, or work being, is found “uniquely within the realm that is opened up by itself.”  Work being can only be found in a world that an art object has created for itself.  A world is like an object.  The truth of a world does not form within itself but in relation to awareness.  World is non-objective, and it is present when we are aware.  The structure of an art piece makes space for its world, and it establishes a place for the works essence.

            The second part of work being, or essence, is called earth.  When something is created, work makes use of materials and forges them into things more durable, or useful.  Work sets forth the object, and then it sets itself into it.  In other words, the work is present during the creation and formation of an object, but it disappears once the task is complete.  However, the work still resides within the object, but all traces of it are lost.  As colors lose their attributes when reduced to discussions of wavelengths, so does work lose its attributes when it is analyzed.  Work reveals itself when it is appreciated on its own terms and not with analytical investigation.

            Art, therefore, is the crafting of an object that creates and sustains its own world, and it is populated with objects created with earth.  When finished, it is not the object itself that forms meaning, but the non-analytical appreciation of the work, the utility of the framed objects, and their relationship to human experience.      

           

Works Cited

Heidegger, Martin. Basic Writings. New York: Harperperenial. 1977. Print