Fear and Anxiety in the Dimensions of Art

In the paper I am concerned with various manifestations of aesthetic fear and anxiety, thatis, fear and anxiety triggered by works of art, which I discuss from aesthetic as well as anthropologicalperspectives. I analyse the link between fear and pleasure in catharsis, in EdmundBurke’s notion of the sublime, and in reference to Goya’s Black Paintings and to Paul Virilio’sthought. Both aesthetic fear and aesthetic anxiety exist alongside other emotions, such as pityand sadness, and, most notably, alongside pleasure which is autonomous or which arises froma fascination with evil.