aristotle and via appia
by daniel oconnell
Aristotle is one of the most commonly known philosophers in the human history next to Socrates and Plato. But unlike the earlier two, Aristotle showed a different perception for the fine arts, you might say it was a positive perception. Where Plato showed a serious distaste for emotional songs and poetry, Aristotle openly embraced the depth and feeling of poetry. Aristotle wrote how expressive songs, poems, and paintings reflected the human nature and helped us better understand it. But what interested Aristotle the most stood the tragedies. Tragedies, unlike comedies, showed a more realistic and less fun side of the human spirit that we strive to understand. One such tragic painting, is the Via Appia
The Via Appia is a very unassuming painting at first glance. The painting shows a cobblestone road going through scattered, timeworn ruins. Far in the distance looks to be a more modernized city filled with people. In the far left of the picture are two shepherds sitting on what used to be a tall pillar with their herd in the background. To a person simply looking at the painting, it might just be a simple landscape portrait but the painting harbors a much deeper significance.
To Aristotle, This simple scene presents a tragic storyline. These ruins could have once been a city, Roman perhaps, standing tall and proud. This can be proven by all the pillars and building structures. We see all around the ruins are bits and pieces of this ancient civilization with statues, tombstones, and memorials. These tombstones had belonged to people from that ancient time, those statues were created by skilled sculptors of that forgotten age. But the real tragedy that Aristotle might see in this picture is the total disregard for all of it. We see in the far left of the picture, two shepherds sitting on a toppled pillar with their flock grazing in the background. The way they slouch and gaze off into the distance shows their disregard for the ruins upon which they sit, possibly because they do not know or understand what is around them. This shows that this civilization has been forgotten by the modern people, and that in itself to Aristotle, is a true tragedy.
Aristotle was always encouraging of a narrative in the poems, songs and paintings and Via Appia is no exception. The painting tells of the existence of a great, ancient civilization in the beginning. Then comes the fall of that said civilization, through disease, war, or a fall from within nobody knows and thus creates an air of mystery surrounding this forgotten society. Finally, the civilizations very memory of ever even existing fades away, people look at these ruins and see not the hard work of the denizens before them, but dusty and brick and rock. This is the tragic end to the civilization of the Via Appia.
The Via Appia is a very unassuming painting at first glance. The painting shows a cobblestone road going through scattered, timeworn ruins. Far in the distance looks to be a more modernized city filled with people. In the far left of the picture are two shepherds sitting on what used to be a tall pillar with their herd in the background. To a person simply looking at the painting, it might just be a simple landscape portrait but the painting harbors a much deeper significance.
To Aristotle, This simple scene presents a tragic storyline. These ruins could have once been a city, Roman perhaps, standing tall and proud. This can be proven by all the pillars and building structures. We see all around the ruins are bits and pieces of this ancient civilization with statues, tombstones, and memorials. These tombstones had belonged to people from that ancient time, those statues were created by skilled sculptors of that forgotten age. But the real tragedy that Aristotle might see in this picture is the total disregard for all of it. We see in the far left of the picture, two shepherds sitting on a toppled pillar with their flock grazing in the background. The way they slouch and gaze off into the distance shows their disregard for the ruins upon which they sit, possibly because they do not know or understand what is around them. This shows that this civilization has been forgotten by the modern people, and that in itself to Aristotle, is a true tragedy.
Aristotle was always encouraging of a narrative in the poems, songs and paintings and Via Appia is no exception. The painting tells of the existence of a great, ancient civilization in the beginning. Then comes the fall of that said civilization, through disease, war, or a fall from within nobody knows and thus creates an air of mystery surrounding this forgotten society. Finally, the civilizations very memory of ever even existing fades away, people look at these ruins and see not the hard work of the denizens before them, but dusty and brick and rock. This is the tragic end to the civilization of the Via Appia.