The Change Of The Artistic Image Of "Laocoon"

The difference between the image of Laocoon in the Virgil’s epic "Aeneid" and the statue of Laocoon in ancient sculpture is an aesthetic issues of lively discussion from the past to the present. This topic presented in both literary arts and plastic arts at the same time is reshaped or recreated by means of the perception and understanding of different artists. It is therefore made to take up varied symbols, identities and roles in different periods against different backgrounds.This paper aims to reexamine Laocoon’s image with focus on its process of aesthetic evolution in terms of related discussions, reconsider the three different faces of Laocoon with reference to its implications due to different treatment, and rediscover the aesthetic value of this classic image of art in history.Winckelmann thinks that the Greek spirit lies in the purpose and aesthetic value of creating the image of Laocoon in sculpture, which appears noble and solemn as a Greek symbol. In Lessing’s view, the distinct images of Laocoon in different genres of art launched a dialogue between varied artistic characteristics, which then leads to specific forms of beauty in poetry and painting. Goethe sees Laocoon as an independent image of art, and bestows its work of pure sculpture with a unique tragic feature in terms of its aesthetic value.