Abstract
This essay analyses Patočka's philosophy of art in the period before and during the Second World War. Since the philosophy of art in Patočka's thinking is part of a broader philosophical debate, the first section of this introduces the main philosophical problems that Patočka was dealing with at this time.
The second part of the essay introduces the place that art has in this broader philosophical context, from the point of view both of the artist and of the viewer. In any case, art for Patočka represents a historical force of spirit, that is, a reflection of a certain form of the lived world.
The last two parts of this essay describe specific differences between art and other kinds of spiritual activity like philosophy, science, and religion, as well as the pre-reflexive form of these spiritual forces as represented in mythology. The author concludes that Patočka's early philosophical thinking creates quite a coherent system in which art plays an important role.