Plato believed that art imitates ideas and forms rather than true reality, making it the lowest form of expression. He considered art to be mimesis, or imitation, of ideas and reality. Mimesis refers to artists imitating the style, technique, or content of other artists' works and is the idea that art imitates nature. While mimesis dominated discussions of art for centuries, the concept is now less used and the notions of imitation may be better understood in the context of contemporary art and the digital age, as artists question classic values like originality. Mimesis remains one of the oldest concepts in art history in the West but is ambiguous and misunderstood, raising the question of whether it can still

1. Plato's Theory of
forms related to art
The History of
Mimesis
- Plato considered the reality as shadows
(according to his famous “Allegory of the
Caves”), that is to say, a bunch of forms
or ideas. In that context, art was the
lowest expression as it was only a copy
of those ideas and not of the true reality.
Art as
mimesis
BY PLATO
What is mimetic art?
Plato idea of art
as mimesis
Mimesis in Modern
World
- Mimesis in art is the tendency for artists to
imitate, or copy, the style, technique, form,
content, or any other aspect of another artist's
work. It is the idea that Erich Auerbach made
popular in his book, Mimesis: The Representation
of Reality in Western Literature. The idea is that
art imitates nature.
- The idea of art as an imitation has dominate
the art history for centuries. Plato and
Aristotle were the first knwon philosopher in
talking about the ideals and values of art
through the concept of “mimesis”.
- In the 21st Century, the idea of ​
​
mimesis is barely used.
The notions of imitation and copying are perhaps more
usefull as aesthethic concepts in the context of the
contemporary art and the digital age. Artists are
incresingly questioning the classic values of originality,
uniqueness and creativity, having in mind the current
condition of reproduction, the proliferation of images in
the Internet and private property.
- Mimesis is one of the most ancient concepts in art
history at least in the West. Although we still use it in
order to define what is art and what it is the difference
with nature, mimesis is a very ambiguos and
misunderstood notion that has give shape to our ways
of seeing and giving value to artworks. In the 21st
Century, is it still posible to talk about mimesis?
Group 1 - CED 14101A