The lost dialogue of Philosophocles - 4

If you missed Agonistes Part One, two and three, you may wish to read them by clicking the links below:

the lost dialogue of Philosophocles

the lost dialogue of Philosophocles - 2

the lost dialogue of Philosophocles - 3

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Agonistes Part Four - (Shadows of Shadows)

Philosophocles: Come quickly, Agonistes, that you might see Polykleitos choose a stone and begin measuring and marking it. I would advise not to address him as he works. When deep in thought he is quite deaf to his surroundings.

Agonistes: Just as you say.

Polykleitos: Good, Philosophocles, I'm glad you are here. I wish to inspect the stones together. You have seen my model?

I have. Hercules? The detail of the lion mane seems quite realistic though I have never seen one.

Po. A beautiful creature. I have seen them in Argos and have on occasion examined a carcass after a hunt to draw sketches and measure its dimensions. Its canines are almost as long as my pinky finger.

Who is your companion, Philosophocles? He is a little well-dressed for a quarry.

This is Agonistes, a follower of Socrates.

A. I saw your Amazon when I was last in Ephesus. It was quite miraculous. Have you ever discussed your canon with Socrates? He does love to debate Geometry.

Po. He, like many philosophers, my new friend, does not approve of mimesis since he believes in the perfection of the forms whereas in this world, we are all but poor shadows of the real, and our feeble artistic representations but shadows of shadows.

Has he not also said that he is a lover of knowledge and the men dwelling in the city are his teachers, not the trees nor the rocks nor the fauna outside the city walls?

A. But….

Only yesterday, Agonistes, you said Socrates claims there are no teachers and only learners. It seems he chooses to contradict himself when it suits his purpose of confounding the hapless fellows who unwisely choose to debate him.

A. But....

Po. To answer your question, Agonistes, though you did not answer mine, we artisans are not the peers nor brothers of philosophers, but Thetes who work for our bread rather than think or govern for it. Like Philosophocles, I was not born to wealth. It is only by my hard work that I am able to travel and on occasion visit him when I have a commission worthy of the marble he has freed with unmatched skill from this admirable quarry.

And to reject the country for sake of the filthy streets of the city no matter the marvel of its architecture is to my mind incomprehensible. Has he never contemplated the beauty of a lilly or a fawn grazing in a glade? Why give praise and honor to the invisible however beautiful in his imagination and not instead remove the scales from his dullard's gaze and witness the majesty of this world the god's have made? Is it not real enough? Does he not see its reflected glory?

A. If I could just....

Po. Now Philosophocles, if you could lead me to your most promising stone. You have seen my model and know what I like.

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End Notes...

Mimesis - Greek (μίμησις) meaning “imitation”. Plato and Aristotle spoke of mimesis as the re-presentation of nature. According to Plato, all artistic creation is a form of imitation: that which is true exists only in the “world of the forms or ideas” as a type created by God. Therefore, the painter, the playwright, and the musician are imitators of an imitation, twice removed from the truth.