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What is Plato's view on the relationship between artistic making and Platonic forms?

a) Artistic making is an original creation unrelated to Platonic forms.
b) Artistic making is a direct representation of Platonic forms.
c) Artistic making is a copy of a copy of Platonic forms.
d) Artistic making is a perfect imitation of Platonic forms.

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Artistic making, according to Plato, is a copy of a copy of Platonic forms. Artistic creations are twice removed from the truth of the Forms, as they imitate objects that are already imperfect representations of these eternal and unchanging ideals. Option C is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

Plato's view on the relationship between artistic making and Platonic forms is that artistic making is a copy of a copy of Platonic forms. According to Plato, the physical world we experience is a shadow or representation of the true and eternal forms. Thus, when an artist creates, they make a representation of something that is itself already a representation of the ideal Form.

For instance, consider the form of a rectangle. The material objects we regard as rectangular are already imperfect copies of the perfect Form of a rectangle. Artistic renderings of these objects are therefore copies of copies, even further removed from the ideal Form. Plato believed that because the world is imbued with imperfection and change, the forms or ultimate realities must exist outside of it in an unchanging realm.

Furthermore, Plato posited that theatre, as a form of art, offers a depiction of reality which, to him, is already a representation of essence or truth. Therefore, in Plato's view, theatre is a representation of a representation, reinforcing his stance that art is a copy of a copy.

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