The concept of mimesis in ancient aesthetics

This lecture deals with the ancient theories of mimesis, which were developed primarily using the example of literature and the visual arts, rather than music. The focus is on concepts developed by Plato with regard to art (in the seemingly rigorous criticism of art in the Republic, but also in many other dialogues), by Aristotle (in the Poetics, but also in the Physics with the keyword imitation of nature), Cicero and Seneca (with the imitation of the idea in the perceptible), Quintilian (under the keyword of rhetorical imitatio) and Plotinus (especially at the beginning of the Enneade 5.8).

As these texts are too extensive to be presented individually, particular theses will be extracted from them by way of example. Questions of the following kind will be considered: What does mimesis actually mean? What is the relationship between the model and the image of imitation (is the image always deficient?)? In which realms of reality can model and image belong (intelligibilia, sensibilia)? What does “imitation of nature” mean? What effects can imitations have on producers and recipients (evoking cognitions, emotions, dispositions)? etc.? This should provide impulses for the following discussion.