Beauty as the Middle Between Two Extremes: Encountering the Aesthetics of Equilibrium in Winckelmann's Theory of Art

This article explores the significance of equilibrium in Winckelmann's aesthetics of moderation as well as in his concept of art history. The article argues that Winckelmann's reading of Greek art and culture uses the concept of equilibrium to explore an idealized vision of art as a medium of aesthetic moderation. Moreover, while applying the ancient ethics of moderation to his theory of art, Winckelmann does not merely describe equilibrium but also performs it discursively. The article pursues the development of Winckelmann's hidden notion of equilibrium from his early essay Gedancken uber die Nachahmung der Griechischen Wercke in der Mahlery und Bildhauer-Kunst (Thoughts on the Imitation of the Painting and Sculpture of the Greeks) to his magnum opus Geschichte der Kunst des Alterthums (History of the Art of Antiquity) in order to reconstruct his concept of aesthetic moderation in the context of mesotes doctrine and art history.