In his "Critical Reflections on poetry and painting" (1719) Du Bos equates the aesthetic arts, with the psychological and sociology, to highlight what the art is not and can not be independent from man, but always in relationship with him.
not investigating the ontological factor, Du Bos, wonders what the purpose of art: art is a cure for unhappiness tear giving us a pure pleasure and privacy, therefore, of real and "dangerous" passions, which could put the human spirit in crisis.
The starting point is that man needs distraction to have the mind constantly occupied, not to fall into boredom, a condition extremely dangerous for individuals.
Two roads can be traveled, that of reflection and that of the hearing, the first is not accessible to all, is not easy to have the ability to think about themselves, but surely the distraction is just as enjoyable and safe feeling , easy for any man.
must feel, but without the risk of falling into unpleasant and enduring passions are difficult to govern, and that is that art can make us feel passion, but always keeping us alert and allowing, in every moment, to our will and reason to govern those passions, too, that there transmit the art.
Art becomes essential for human life. The news was another of Du Bos, in addition, to broaden the concept of a public, all being able to "feel" and pleasure, the feel and taste belong to all humanity, all men are equal by the "reasons of the heart," not only a certain elite can enjoy art.
But what the artist, the genius, must show to the public, in order to effectively carry out its task of movere et delectare minds?
Genius must depict human suffering are able to move us, referring to the image of "De Rerum Natura" of Lucretius, it is pleasant to sit on the beach safe, while you see a shipwreck in the distance.
What is genius? It is a gift, a natural gift also deriving from physical causes, geographical, climatic and socio-historical, is not yet as a creator will be in 1800, but it is a discoverer, he and only he knows what to "paint" to make us feel emotions.
