Comment on Venus Priapus
Der fruchtbare Augenblick [the pregnant moment] is a concept formulated by the German author, critic, and Enlightenment philosopher Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781) in his 1766 essay Laokoon, oder über die Grenzen der Mahlerey und Poesie [Laocoön, or On the Limits of Painting and Poetry] fra 1766.
According to Lessing, the painter or sculptor who wishes to portray “actions” or stories must choose a single, meaningful, or pregnant moment in the story: “that which is at once expressive of the past, and pregnant with the future.” In this way, the artist can allow the plot to come to life—and stimulate the imagination of the beholder so that the action is cemented in a dramatic climax. Cf. Lessing, Laocoon, or The Limits of Poetry and Painting, trans. William Ross (London: Ridgway & Sons, 1836) 152. Thorvaldsen had the second (1788) edition of Lessing’s Laokoon in his library, M30.
Last updated 20.12.2015