Research On Marx And Engels’ S Art Thought

Art is a special ideology, a manner for human beings to control the whole world. Although Marx and Engels have no comprehensive art-related demonstrations, they do have a systematic thought on art. In the process of leading the proletariat to emancipate the entire world and all mankind, Marx and Engels have their own unique thoughts and reflections on such a special ideology.This thesis discusses the historical background and developmental track of Marx and Engels’ s artistic thoughts, based on which it further explores the art-related demonstrations in the text of Marx and Engels from the perspective of systems and contents contained by art itself, and classifies them, trying to set up a preliminary system and theoretical framework and clarifying the main contents as well as its related points of Marx and Engels’ s artistic thoughts.The birth and growth of Marx and Engels’ s artistic thoughts is a process of changing and developing, which extends widely to other aspects. During the youth time, young Marx and Engels, due to the influence of the artistic trend during the time of art renaissance and the aesthetic thoughts of Kant and Hegel, showed a tendency of romanticism and idealism on art aesthetics. However, along with the growth of thoughts and the rise of proletariat revolution is Marx and Engels’ s maturation on artistic thoughts, which is on the way of revolutionism. Therefore, on the thinking of art, Marx and Engels has begun to think of the possibility of considering art as a way of controlling the entire world.Marx and Engels have proposed essentialism specialized in Marxist philosophy, and that art is originated in the progress of labor technique and language activity of mankind on the basis of a unique understanding on art. Furthermore, they have claimed that art is a special way of controlling the world, a special ideology, and hold the idea that art possesses a form of ideology, belonging to the category of superstructure and confined by economic foundation.Based on a correct understanding of the essence of art, Marx and Engels have proposed artistic criticism theory. The theory is mainly aimed at the criticism practice and the standard of artistic criticism of capitalistic art. In the eyes of Marx and Engels, the art in capitalistic society is an alienated artistic state, and the division of labor in this society has damaged the artistic development. Thus Marx and Engels have made an utter criticism on the art in capitalistic society by adopting ‘an aesthetic and historical view’.After making the utter criticism on the artistic development in capitalistic society, Marx and Engels have analyzed the social development mechanism and process of artistic production by view of historical materialism, and hold the idea that production of material and of human beings themselves is the source of artistic production, which is also a special mental production ‘created according to the aesthetic law’. It not only affects other mental production, but also reacts on material production.The artistic thoughts of Marx and Engels are created via the conflict with equalitarianism, asceticism and various fallacies of so-called ‘communism’ denying the existence of individuality. The basic argument in their artistic thoughts is that it is a must to enlighten mankind’s spirits and develop mankind’s individuality. That is why Marx and Engels think that the art in communist society will be fully developed and thus to promote the overall free development of individuals.Marx and Engels’ s artistic thoughts have provided a guidance for the development of artistic theory of later ages, and have a high value both theoretically and practically, which mainly displays in its materialistic transformation on idealistic artistic view. It has also formed an art view of proletariat itself, and proposed that the free and overall development of individuals goes along with the developmental history of art. This is of great theoretical and practical significance on the current development of Chinese art theory and the establishment of artistic discourse system featured with Chinese characteristic socialism.