DER KÜNSTLER IN HEIDEGGERS KUNSTWERKAUFSATZ
THE ARTIST IN HEIDEGGERS WORK OF ART ESSAY

Summary/Abstract: Heidegger’s reflections about art are guided by his concern to avoid traditional notions, such as the creativity of the artist-genius as "origin" of the work of art. In fact, as long as the work of art is seen as a mere object manufactured by a subject, it is impossible to grasp its specificity as a work of art. The present text tries to elucidate Heidegger’s turning against the traditional understanding of the artist’s role in the forthcoming of the work of art and shows how, in his rejection of what the artist is not, he develops his own theory of the Origin of the work of Art. The becoming of art (Kunstgeschehen) and the role of the artist only become clear if they are interpreted in terms of the event (Ereignis). This explains the singular relation of the artist to the becoming of truth (Wahrheitsgeschehen), which lies in his ability to open and respond to the Zuspruch of Being. Thus, the work of art can be understood as the artist’s answer that lets come into the open new possibilities of being (Seinsmöglichkeiten) for the being-there (Dasein). Even though the artist is not granted the status of a genius anymore, he is certainly not a simple craftsman – compared to the people he shares a world with, he is always "the Other" (der Andere), the one that stays in between the actual world and the world that is to come forth thanks to the work of art.

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