拉斐尔的名画‘雅典学院’里，柏拉图与亚里士多德并立。柏拉图指向天，那是理想世界的理念。我们所见的亚里士多德的手指指向地上。这幅画精确地描述了柏拉图与亚里士多德的不同。这个不同也显示在他们的艺术道路。
亚里士多德比柏拉图更加同情地关心艺术。亚里士多德相信普世理念形式只存在于个别物体，认为艺术家在研究物体并把它们转换为艺术形式时，艺术家是直接的与宇宙接触。因为这个理由，亚里士多德肯定艺术的认知价值；他说艺术既然是模仿自然，所以它与自然的信息沟通。
在认知价值以外，艺术在亚里士多德观念中还有相当的心理学意义。首先，艺术反映人本质的深刻一面，人类由此与动物有别；模仿是他们的植入本能。事实上，儿时最早的学习是由模仿而来。
除了本能，人们在面对艺术时，还会感到欢愉。所以，人们之所以享受观看肖像是因为当他们凝视它时，他们发现他们在学习或在推理，同时叹道，‘啊，我想到了。’
以艺术而言，亚里士多德的观点比柏拉图有极大的进步。他明确地意识到艺术的目的只不过是给人一时的痛快，所以它不需要寻求工匠技艺的那种功能。作为一种活动，不像柏拉图那样艺术当作无价值的把戏，亚里士多德在模仿中找到知识与真相。
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In The School of Athens, the fresco by Raphael, Plato and Aristotle stand side by side. Plato points to the heavens, to the ideal world of the Forms. Aristotle is shown with his hand open toward the earth. The painting accurately portrays the difference between Plato and Aristotle. It's a difference that shows up in their approaches to the arts.
Aristotle had a more sympathetic interest in art then did Plato. Aristotle, believing that the Universal Forms exist only in particular things, felt that the artists are dealing directly with the universal when they study things and translate them into art forms. For this reason, Aristotle affirmed the cognitive value of art, saying that since art does imitate nature, it therefore communicates information about nature.
In addition to cognitive value, art has in Aristotle’s view considerable psychological significance. For one thing, art reflects a deep facet of human nature by which people are differentiated from animals, this being their implanted instinct for imitation. Indeed, from earliest childhood learning takes place through imitation.
In addition to this instinct, there is also the pleasure that people feel upon confronting art. Thus, the reason people enjoy seeing a likeness is, that in contemplating it they find themselves learning or inferring, and saying perhaps, ‘Ah, that is he.’
With respect to art, Aristotle views are an immense advance on those of Plato. He distinctly recognized that its aim is simply to give immediate pleasure, and so it does not need to seek the useful like the mechanical arts. The essence of art, considered as an activity, Aristotle found in imitation, which, unlike Plato, he considers not as an unworthy trick, but as including knowledge and discovery.
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