The Dynamic Phenomenon of Art in Heidegger's The Origin of the Work of Art

Abstract

This paper provides an interpretation of Heidegger’s “The Origin of the Work of Art” (hereinafter cited as “the OWA”) that establishes the primacy of art as a dynamic phenomenon that provides the mode through which the Being of the world is revealed in its truth. For readers unfamiliar with Heidegger’s unusual methodology and usage of philosophic terminology, this sentence requires some preliminary unpacking. For this reason, I will first provide some definitional guidance about what Heidegger means by “art” and by “truth” in the OWA, although it is important to understand that for Heidegger, understanding involves not definition but “feeling one’s way along.” Second, I will discuss how art acts as the leading dynamic phenomenon as I critique the following two arguments: (1) John Bruin’s argument that Heidegger considers Van Gogh’s Old Shoes [link] painting to be merely high-quality rather than great art because it is representational; and (2) Abraham Mansbach’s assertion that Heidegger’s “turn” from Being and Time to the OWA involves a change in agency from the artist to the art work (rather than to the phenomenon of art). These two views will be evaluated and ultimately rejected because they do not adequately grasp that art is the originating agent. This interpretation is based on a close textual analysis of the OWA (with mention of other works that support this analysis) as if the OWA itself were a work of art standing entirely in the “open light of the truth.” For this reason, no reference will be made to the historical or sociopolitical context of the OWA or to Heidegger’s reprehensible involvement with the Nazi party. Let’s begin by unpacking the term “art.”