A missão desfetichizadora da arte na estética de György Lukács

Abstract

The present paper aims to present the social function of art in the capitalist context based on György Lukács. In his work Aesthetics I: the peculiarity of the aesthetic, published in 1963, the Hungarian philosopher seeks to analyze the genesis of the aesthetic fact, how art emerges in the history of humanity. More than a historical analysis, Lukács analyzes the primordial category for this genesis, work. Allied to language, work is a founding category of human consciousness, and together with other factors, such as mimesis, magic and religion, it makes art possible, increasingly enhancing the human capacity to reflect on oneself and the surrounding world. This presentation will not focus on the process of separation and development of artistic mimesis to the detriment of magic. This overcoming occurred at a given historical moment and gives way to the expansion of human consciousness and its development in art and science. However, it is necessary to clarify the mimetic concept to better understand its recovery in Lukácsian thought. Starting from this point, we will look at art as a reflection of the reality that takes place in the here and now of society. For the philosopher, art has the ability to reflect reality, the here and now of the historical moment, or, as he himself says, using the Latin expression, hinc et nunc. Since the genesis and throughout the development of society, art fulfills its function within the social context towards human self-awareness. This function is demonstrated by the possibility of evoking objective reality. Based on this definition, the theme of art in the face of the social reality of capitalism will be discussed below, in an attempt to understand art as defetishizing, that is, capable of removing human beings from heterogeneity to homogeneity. Therefore, for Lukács, it is up to art to remove him from the fragmented condition of everyday life and put him in contact with the human race.