Illusion und Phantasie – Zur Poetologie der Aisthesis in der ekphrastischen Dichtung des Hellenismus

Abstract

This paper is about ekphrastic poetry and its poetology in Hellenistic times, which, according to my thesis, reflects a new aesthetic turn in poetry. The relevant sources are ekphrastic epigrams, which thematize works of art and artifacts. These poetic texts aim to achieve specific aesthetic effects and internal reflections in the perceiving subject. My thesis is that practices can be identified in epigrams which result from philosophical discourses on αἴσθησις / aisthesis (sensory perception) and on φαντασία / phantasia (imagination). As shown in the first case study, the epigrams about Myron’s cow reflect a subject of everyday life that is not beautiful in itself, but whose naturalistic representation is considered perfect in art. The poems employ particular practices of (re-)presentation while intentionally breaking the aesthetic illusion. In the second case study, Meleagerʼs ekphrastic epigrams on Praxiteles’ statue of Eros, an artfully enacted interaction between poet, artist, and subject becomes apparent. Processing Platonic, as well as Stoic ideas, the subjective imagination takes center stage, relying on Eros as a demiurgic, inspiring, and formative force. The old rivalry between poetry and visual art is thus stimulated anew by a contemporary aesthetic discourse, which appears to be inspired by contemporary philosophical concepts.