Abstract

According to the history of aesthetics, Plotinus restored the dignity of which Plato’s verdict on artists in The Republic, especially his notorious mirror analogy in the tenth book, had deprived them. The paper analyses the key topics in the first chapter of Plotinus’ treatise On Noetic Beauty : the meaning of arts and their function, the way Plotinus’ aesthetics is firmly embedded in his metaphysics, the defence of imitation/representation of nature and Phidias’ creation of his statue of Zeus at Olympia. It also discusses other authors as possible models for Plotinus. An exploration of inspiration in Phidias opens up questions concerning the role of imagination and the possibilities for symbolism and idealism in art. A comparison of selected passages from Plotinus’ and Plato’s writings shows that there are unexpectedly many points of contact between the two authors and that both explore a range of possibilities from imitation/representation of objects belonging to the visible world, to creation independent of visible models.