Diderot: Rameau's nephew and the genius art Diderot, Rameau through his character, seems to condemn the man of genius, it is true that those who possess that talent will emerge contributions to society and probably will, but in the future. Having
genius is harmful to humans, this gift away from his fellow human being, makes him disinterested in everything but himself for this, according to Rameau's nephew, much better to be mediocre, rather than stand out by genius.
as an example the figure of Rameau's uncle, in fact, are brought to light all the characteristics of being extremely negative genius nonprofit to do good, possessed only purpose in the world, is to produce art.
The condition of the isolated genius, moral or immoral is that he is the only way, however, to produce works that spicchino, immediately, or in the future.
This critical stance towards men who have genius, is outlined in the writings of Rousseau on its position towards art, which, however, perhaps to save his own reputation as a writer, find an appropriate solution in order to be man engineering, and possess a deep altruism in the idea that he appears to be a true genius of this condition, which elevates him from his fellows, must bind indelibly linked to virtue.
Scale is strongly against those who make art without being morally upright people, so as to condemn the taste frivolous and artists for making the worst humanity.
Rousseau, therefore, takes aim at the artists who sell out and sell to be appreciated and acclaimed, who prefer to be applauded rather than to be virtuous, and it is precisely in this, he plays in the importance of virtue, the very core of the sentence which is relative, not ontological, not absolute, is not the art to corrupt men, the art is not evil, what is wrong is the relationship between art and society.
In his "Discourse on the sciences and the arts" (1750) focuses on the fact that the birth of the arts has led humanity, once simple, corruption and inequality: each one tries to look better, everyone tries to get noticed .
Between virtue and genius, without a doubt Rousseau chooses the only "thing" that really belongs to us, which is solely ours, the only one that can grow and increase our own strength, or virtue.
The genius (or rather, have the genius), it is something that we already have, as innate, can not really improve, we just, we, making good use, join us to virtue, and be real genes (need to remember is that, conviction in the art, there is a substantial difference between being a genius, and have only genius) will
Voltaire despised by Rousseau, who in a letter to his friend Geneva Jacob Vernet, expressing all his disdain for "man of great talents, and so vile for their use."
For Rousseau, Voltaire erred priceless, trying to live with his art, which Rousseau can not accept, in fact convinced that genius is not for sale.
The author of the social contract would have been appalled to hear Rameau's nephew said that if he could capture a work of his uncle, the would have used it to achieve success and become famous.
Rousseau fact remains, for all his solitary life, convinced of what he wrote in "Discourse on the sciences and the arts" that men love the most ' appearance that virtue. In this text, in fact, he tries to defend the virtue "in front of virtuous men" and says that morality is more expensive "to decent people who never learned to learning."
everybody wants to be applauded is a concept that often takes Rousseau and even, in the "Preface to Narcissus" (1753) writes, "everyone wants to be nice people, no one righteous man."
Rameau's character can not understand the paradox of being the genius that resides in the duty to live for himself, free from the "power", because we must dedicate himself to his art without seeking praise.
But the real geniuses, those seeking inseparable from genius, virtue, are rare, and are the only ones who get to the truth, because they do not care about success, and do not write or produce art to please others, but only for themselves. These sublime
genes are isolated from society, but not by the will, according to Rousseau, is the company that, as it understands and appreciates them, isolates them, instead of admiring artists who produce according to the taste of the fickle crowd.
The true genius is the only one who comes to the truth as motivated by noble sentiments as the right and the good: in the "Letters to D 'Alembert on the shows" (written in 1758 for demonstrate what could be damaging a theater in the town of Geneva), Rousseau writes that justice and truth are the first duties of man.
Jean-Francois de Saint-Lambert, the official mistress of Sophie Houdetot, deeply beloved by Rousseau, writes the "genius" for Encycpoledie focusing on the importance of play and imagination on the 'earnest soul, which possesses the artist.
The man who has this gift can not rebel against his nature, and is forced to "feel" more than other men.
He personifies what creates with and through this identification. can make sublime works.
The man of genius finds himself overwhelmed by ideas, can hardly follow the serene reflections of images tomentum and this leads him to violate nature.
Genius seems to change the nature of things, does not care about the past or the present, but is projected on the future.
Even Jean-Francois de Saint-Lambert is aware of the fact that genius is not understood by his contemporaries.
Rousseau in the "composer" of his "Dictionary of Music" (1768), says that genius is "the inner flame and turmoil that pervades the composer in spite of himself" and the "Genius" says: "Do not look for a young artist , What is genius. If you're with feel it in yourself. " . The image of engineering as something that flares up in the artist, is very different than that of Du Bos or Batteaux, where genius is tempered by a faculty of reason, it is no transport violent as this would be detrimental to the work.
rationality with the taste must set in motion the artist, which of course is that because it has more natural talent than that other men do not possess. In 1747
Batteaux writes "The fine arts traced to a single principle which states that the arts are united by the principle of imitation, but not all of reality, but the beautiful nature that only a genius can understand and reproduce. It is not mere reproduction of what the eye sees, but we must investigate what is beautiful, thanks to the support-guide of good taste.
The genius then, for these two authors mentioned above, is a gift, a gift of nature arising from causes including physical, geographical, climatic and socio-historical, since there is still room in this vision of nineteenth-century genius.
