The Crisis of Aesthetics, Aesthetics of Crisis

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic and the crisis it has brought about has resulted in inaction on the part of the individual. Not only the current crisis, but also the crises of the last century caused a passivity that was also noticeable in the artist, as the content of the artistic creation is not directly related to the current crisis, but rather is used as an escape route. In times of crisis the creative process does not process the material that is available under the given circumstances, instead art represents a means of accepting life as it is. The definition of art as a form of comforting illusion became a central theme in Nietzsche’s work towards the end of the 19th century as a result of crises. This essay deals with the question of whether the relevance of art for society will remain as long as it continues to function as a passive place of escape and cheer. In order to be able to examine this, the present study deals with Nietzsche’s The birth of tragedy because the work includes Nietzsche’s systematic reflections on aesthetics on which modern art is based. As a result, it was found that the current crisis could give rise to a crisis in abstract art that has been dominating the cultural milieu at the same time as pleading for inaction. In a new phase in which new concepts are being sought all over the world, it can hardly be expected that aesthetic principles will be preserved as they have prevailed for more than a hundred years.