Ontology of Aesthetics – Art as the Unfolding of Being
Philosophical Prelude – Presence as Experience, Not as Object
Ontology of aesthetics is not a new theoretical system but a shift in sensitivity. A return to those foundational experiences in which the world does not appear as an object but as a living encounter. This mode of thought was grounded by 20th-century phenomenology and hermeneutics.
Martin Heidegger claimed that art does not represent, but "lets the truth of Being emerge"—art does not depict but reveals. Maurice Merleau-Ponty saw perception not as optical function, but as embodied presence: vision as contact. Art is not communication, but something we are inside of. Hans-Georg Gadamer described art as an event that happens: the viewer does not interpret but contributes to the artwork's self-understanding. Gilles Deleuze, in turn, emphasized image as movement and time—painting is not representation, but tension made visible.
This text does not describe styles or genres. It outlines the ontological status of art: the artwork is not an object, but an event where Being reveals itself. The viewer is not a decipherer, but a witness.
1. Reformulating the Question: What Happens When We Encounter a Work of Art?
Classical aesthetics sought beauty and judgment. Modernity expanded toward meaning, context, subjectivity. Yet the work as object remained central.
Ontology of aesthetics asks not: “What does the artwork mean?”, but: “Did something happen on the level of presence?” Here, the artwork is not an object but a moment in which Being enters perception. Not ownable, not interpretable—only bearable as witness.
2. The Work as Event – Not as Object
An object is fixed, categorizable, explainable. But the artwork is not a thing. It is an event field, which only exists if someone is present. Form, time, space, and attention create the open constellation through which the artwork emerges.
Ontology of art is not about seeking meaning, but bearing witness to the arrival of presence.
3. Tactus and Retractus – The Two Faces of Being
Art does not always open. Being does not always arrive. There are two modes of presence: Tactus and Retractus.
Tactus: when the artwork touches. Not emotional impact, not intellectual clarity, but resonance—we cannot name it, yet we know something has occurred. This is Being made present.
Retractus: when the artwork withdraws. Access is closed. Presence does not happen. But this is not absence—it is the other face of Being: silence, stillness, waiting.
4. Witnessing and the Body – Presence Beyond Interpretation
The witness does not analyze. Does not interpret. Is present.
This witnessing is not passive. It is embodied attentiveness. The body is not a sensory tool—it is the site of presence. Silence is not lack, but the open space in which art may unfold.
The essence of witnessing: to let Being show itself—or not.
5. Form as Threshold – Not Carrier of Meaning
In classical aesthetics, form structured content. Here: it opens space. It does not carry messages—it makes possible. It does not answer—it allows entry.
Form here does not say, “look what I mean,” but “step through me.” The artwork's formal quality is not communicative, but a condition for presence.
6. Critique as Presence – Not Judgment, But Experience
Critique no longer asks: “Is this a good work?” but: “Did presence occur?”
The critic is not a judge, but a witness. Critique does not evaluate—it registers resonance. It observes whether the work opened, or remained silent. This judgment-free attention is the only valid mode of approach.
7. Glossary – Ontological States and Conditions
Ontological States:
Tactus – The moment of experienced presence. Nameless touch.
Retractus – The withdrawal of Being. Silence as event.
Witnessing – The body's alert presence in the moment. Not interpretation—reception.
Ontological Conditions:
Form as Threshold – Not sign, but passage.
Silence – The space of waiting. Not absence—possibility.
Field of Presence – The resonant space between viewer and artwork where event may occur.
Classical Examples in the Light of Ontological Experience
Giotto – The Tremble of the Gaze
Giotto’s frescoes are not about narrative but presence. The glances, the stillness of bodies testify to something happening. Not characters—but participants in ontological tension.
Rothko – Color as Presence
Rothko’s canvases are not color fields but zones of resonance. The viewer does not merely observe—but enters. Color ceases to be hue and becomes touch.
Monet – The Transparency of Time
The Water Lilies do not depict a pond—they dissolve time into light. Form softens, time opens, and the viewer passes through.
Pollock – The Event as Work
Pollock’s paintings are not gestures, but temporal imprints. What remains is not the act of painting—but the trace of an event.
Final Note – Not a New Style, But a Different Seeing
This ontology of aesthetics does not oppose tradition—it offers a new relationship. It is not a manifesto, but an attentiveness. Art is not here to say something—but to let something happen.
The artwork is not an image. The artwork is: an event.