Towards the Dimensions of the Sacred and Mystery: The Aesthetics of Władysław Stróżewski and the Numinous Language of Art

Andrzej KRAWIEC

Zakład Historii Filozofii, Instytut Filozofii, Wydział Filozoficzny, Uniwersytet Jagielloński, ul. Grodzka 52, 33-332 Kraków, Poland , Poland

Abstract

The objective of the paper is a presentation and an interpretation of Władysław Stróżewski’s views on aesthetics. Built upon the foundation provided by classical metaphysics, Stróżewski’s aesthetics is simultaneously a continuation of the tradition of phenomenological interpretation of art. Stróżewski extends Roman Ingarden’s aesthetic theory by including the idea of numinous concretion, largely inspired by the works of Rudolf Otto. As a result, this new phenomenological perspective transcends the narrowly understood ‘aesthetics’ of the work of art towards the inherent dimension of the sacred. Moreover, Stróżewski’s scrutiny of the aspect of art that goes beyond the aesthetic reveals an important relationship obtaining between his insights and the theological aesthetics of Hans Urs von Balthasar. Thus Stróżewski’s ideas turn out to be of significance to contemporary aesthetic and theological debates. In particular, he shows the movement of beauty from aesthetic to transcendental, and ultimately towards the sacred, where numinosum is manifested as Mystery.

Keywords:

aesthetics, phenomenology, numinous concretion, the sacred, Władysław Stróżewski