Art and Aesthetics in the Written Legacy of Ivan Merz

Abstract

The critical approach towards art and aesthetics exercised by Merz underwent various phases and was encompassed in various works. It consisted in a systematic investigation of works of art in their physical aspect, attendance at concerts and theatrical plays; moreover, as an intellectual, he probed the world of art, aesthetics, communication, morals and ethics, culminating in reflections on religion. He laboured in two spheres at the same time — the physical and the spiritual — which led him to acknowledge that liturgy is the highest form of artistic unity. At a certain stage in his development he came to comprehend the synthetic form of all things within the liturgy: there he uncovered the unity and diversity of art. The result was the same as in other fields of his research — he discovered truth to be found in Christianity to which he continually returned when in doubt or burdened by questions about the individual and mankind. In his treatises he revealed that the liturgy is the the focal point of his life. The attitude he accepted is more than favourable: his choice of liturgy as a ’true form of art’ did not happen a priori or based solely on faith, but was the fruit of a long journey and much reflection wherein art played a key influence.