Art as the defense of man : some reflections over Karol Wojtyła’s (John Paul II) thought on art and the artist

The paper Art as the Defense of Man. Some Reflections over Karol Wojtyła’s (John Paul II) Thought on Art and the Artist is an attempted consideration of the ethical obligation of art perceptible both on the part of the creative process (and the artist) and tasks posed for the artist. The author traces back various possibilities and aspects of the title question, undertaking (inter alia) the reflection on phenomena of the engaged art and the so-called social poetry, and, eventually, considerations connected with the ethos of art according to Karol Wojtyła (John Paul II). In this respect, the subject matter of the analysis is the text by Wojtyła’s retreat for artists and the Latter to Artists stemming from the period of his Papal Ministry. The analysis of them both leads to the conclusion that the vocation and mission of the artist is, according to Wojtyła, specific one and conceded with the Polish tradition of romanticism.