THE MAGUS OF THE NORTH: JOHANN GEORG HAMANN’S TREATMENT OF THE ARTISTIC GENIUS

Abstract

In the 18th century, questions abound on the new branch of science that is the discipline of aesthetics. In connection with this, first in France and England, then also in the German sphere of thought, artistic genius as the producer of an aesthetically valued artwork becomes an object of interest. The term ‘genius’ enters German vernacular in the middle of the 18th century, when the scholar and philosopher Johann Georg Hamann commences his life work. Interpretations of the works of Hamann, an influential irrationalist or anti-rationalist of the Enlightenment era, are topical even today. At the time, the Enlightenment-inspired, nascent German genius theory is greatly influenced by the French tradition. However, Hamann becomes a radical changer of the concept of genius. During his sojourn in London (1757–1758), Hamann undergoes a religious conversion, which subsequently becomes a catalyst for his entire works and philosophy. Influenced by the British empiricist genius tradition, from his first writings (Socratic Memorabilia and Aesthetics in a Nutshell), Hamann enters into dispute with the spirit of the Enlightenment that dominates German aesthetics, represented by Gottsched, Mendelssohn, Lessing, etc., remaining in opposition throughout his creative career. In his innovative literary works, rich in metaphors, he proposes his own holistic idea of genius, which centres around an artistic genius with a God-given talent, whose creativity is directly connected to his faith in God and the perfect nature he created. Hamann’s poetic artist, who creates his works through divine sensation, is not limited by a single rule or law, nor is he bound by the taste preferences of his audience. Hamann does not see artistic creation as a pleasurable artefact which enhances nature by rational rules, which has to adhere to the limits of good taste – that view was prevalent and dominant at the time, especially in the French and German Enlightenment ideology. He highlights the idea of art as a metaphysical creative process which stems from feelings and sensations through faith, which has a deep spiritual meaning.Hamann’s works, in which he addresses the questions of art and genius, are not dry postulations, but the author’s original visions of ingenious creation, which stand out by their intriguing innovative structure, and often by ironic and humorous undertones. Hamann’s concept of the artistic genius is one of the cornerstones of German early romanticism, it has influenced numerous authors in the 19th century and extended into the 20th century through existentialist literature. Hamann’s vision of genius does not have equivalents in the list of genius treatments, it is unique in both content and form. Hamann’s ideas of genius will remain topical in every era when subjective views of art are in focus, which stem from the inner creative freedom of the artist, a creative who crosses boundaries and ignores conventions, whose aspiration is guided by something that cannot be subjected to ordinary explanations. The time has arrived on the spiral of history today when the phenomenon of the artist is yet again at the centre of discussions, and there is no reason to doubt that artistic genius will continue revealing itself in times to come