Laokoon

<p><i>Laokoon: oder über die Grenzen der Mahlerey und Poesie</i> (Laocoon: On the Limits of Painting and Poetry) is an essay by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing published in 1766. In it Lessing argues against the prevailing aesthetic theories of his time particularly the idea that art should strive to imitate nature as closely as possible. He distinguishes between painting and poetry asserting that each art form has its own unique strengths and limitations.</p> <p>Lessing contends that painting as a visual art is best suited for depicting physical beauty and static objects while poetry as a temporal art is better equipped to express action emotion and change. He uses the famous sculpture of Laocoön and his sons being attacked by serpents as a case study analyzing how the visual representation differs from Virgil's poetic description in the Aeneid. Lessing's work remains a seminal text in the fields of aesthetics literary criticism and art theory influencing subsequent generations of artists and thinkers.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>