Full Idea
Man is more beautiful than anything else, and the loftiest purpose of art is to reveal his nature.
Gist of Idea
Man is more beautiful than anything else, and the loftiest purpose of art is to reveal his nature
Source
Arthur Schopenhauer (The World as Will and Idea [1819], III 41)
Book Reference
Schopenhauer,Arthur: 'The World as Will and Idea', ed/tr. Berman,Jill and David [Everyman 1995], p.133
A Reaction
A bit of a shock, because it implies human vanity, but it fits the best works of art rather well. What else reveals humanity's beauty? Beautiful deeds must be recorded.