Poetry, Beauty and Contemplation: The Complete Aesthetics of Jacques Maritain

Twentieth-century French Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain is arguably one of the most significant contemporary disciples of St. Thomas Aquinas. Maritain’s philosophy is rooted in and logically consistent with the thought of his mentor, yet his philosophy is profoundly original. Taken together, his comprehensive metaphysical principles, his philosophy of human nature, and his insights on art and creativity combine to create a complete explanation of his aesthetics. Poetry, Beauty, and Contemplation provides a basic introduction to, and an extensive examination of, Maritain’s philosophy of art and beauty. The book begins with a brief biographical sketch of Maritain’s early years, including the early influences on his philosophy (Henri Bergson and Thomas Aquinas among them). The author explores key terms and ideas central to Maritain’s aesthetics – intuition, connaturality, Poetry, and beauty – and traces their historical development. The book integrates the inherent relationship between Maritain’s unique understanding of
Poetry,
his aesthetic and metaphysical ideas about beauty, and his explanation of the distinction between natural and supernatural contemplation, resulting in a complete exposition of Maritain’s aesthetics.