Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim 1729-1781 creator Frothingham, Ellen 1835-1902 text utu 2024 monographic en 1 online resource : multiple file formats "Laocoon: An Essay upon the Limits of Painting and Poetry" by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing is a philosophical treatise that explores the relationship between visual art and poetry, likely written in the late 18th century. This work delves into how painting and poetry differ in their representation of beauty and effects on the audience's emotions. Lessing examines the ancient figure of Laocoon to illustrate his points, addressing themes of expression, beauty, and the limitations inherent in each art form." The opening of "Laocoon" lays the groundwork for Lessing’s critique of previous artistic interpretations, particularly regarding the expressions of suffering in works of art versus those in poetry. He introduces the idea that both painting and poetry create unique illusions of presence, yet they evoke feelings through different means; painting relies on visual representation while poetry operates through description and narrative. Citing examples of classical art and literature, he emphasizes the idea that beauty must predominate in visual art, even when depicting intense emotions like pain. Lessing sets the stage for a deeper analysis of artistic expression and its implications for understanding human experience, particularly through the application of the Laocoon myth as a central case study. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Translation of: Laokoon. Release date is 2024-02-29 Richard Tonsing, Tim Lindell, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) Originally published: Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1873 Aesthetics -- Early works to 1800 Agesander. Laocoön group N Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1873 https://archive.org/details/laocoon01less/page/n9/mode/2up https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/73078 https://archive.org/details/laocoon01less/page/n9/mode/2up https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/73078 UtSlPG 260607 20260610134706.0 73078