Aesthetic themes in pagan and Christian Neoplatonism : from Plotinus to Gregory of Nyssa / Daniele Iozzia.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Iozzia, Daniele, author.

Series:

Classical Studies & Archaeology 2015.

Classical Studies & Archaeology 2015

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Philosophy, Ancient.

Neoplatonism.

Aesthetics.

Plotinus.

Gregory, of Nyssa, Saint, approximately 335-approximately 394.

Gregory.

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Place of Publication:

New York : Bloomsbury Academic, 2015.

System Details:

Mode of Access: World Wide Web.

text file

Summary:

Whilst aesthetics as a discipline did not exist before the modern age, ancient philosophers nevertheless offered many insights about beauty and art. In Late Antiquity, Plotinus confronted the problem of beauty and the value of the arts. His reflections have an important role in the development of the concept of the value of artistic imagination during the Renaissance and the Romantic era, but he also influenced the artistic taste of his own age. Aesthetic Themes in Pagan and Christian Neoplatonism reconstruct the aesthetic philosophical views of Late Antiquity, and how they related to artistic production of the time. By examining the resonance of Plotinus' thought among contemporary artists and Christian thinkers, especially Gregory of Nyssa, the book demonstrates the importance of Plotinus' treatise On Beauty for the development of late-antique aesthetics. The Cappadocian fathers' interest in Plotinus is explored, as well as the consequent legacy of the pagan thinker's philosophy within Christian thought, from the concept of beauty to the narration of the contemplative experience. Uniquely utilizing philological and philosophical insight, as well as exploring both pagan and Christian philosophy, this book represents an innovative and comprehensive synthesis of aesthetic thought of Late Antiquity. Book jacket.

Contents:

Rhetoric and aesthetics in Plotinus

Philosophy and culture of Gregory of Nyssa

Sculpting and painting between metaphor and didacticism

Gold and light

The paradoxes of beauty

Aesthetics and the ineffable beauty.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Electronic reproduction. London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014. Available via World Wide Web. Access limited by licensing agreement. s2014 dcunns

Other Format:

Original

ISBN:

9781474219891

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.