Art is strongly present in "Will and Representation" by Arthur Schopenhauer. Schopenhauer had a complex and nuanced view of the profound effect of art on humanity and the importance of such effect for our daily lives. His vision, however, does not exist in a vacuum. It is an integral part of his general theory about humanity and existence itself and therefore can only be fully appreciated with at least some reference to his other ideas. In this article I will attempt to illustrate Schopenhauer's philosophy of art by highlighting pertinent aspects of his other related theories such as the aesthetic value of nature. I will conclude by using several of Schopenhauer's theories that I have summarized to contrast humanity's relationship with both art and with nature. Schopenhauer believed that suffering is part of human nature in their essence, driven by will which is at least partly defined by a feeling of insatiable need. This infinite need in turn leads to infinite effort to satisfy that need because of the pain it can cause. He felt that this is a defining characteristic of humanity, but he also recognized that humans are capable, at least temporarily, of distancing themselves from much desire. The method by which humanity escapes endless longing and pain and finds relief is aesthetic contemplation; more specifically, the contemplation of nature or art. Contemplating nature allows us to distance ourselves from worry about our infinite commitment. We may witness the majesty of nature and find our limitless need silenced in the face of such a spectacle. When the will is calmed in this way we find ourselves contemplating the "true" nature of things. We may begin to see the world as it truly is, but... middle of paper... positions rather than accurate descriptions. This seems to be the exact opposite of our relationship with art. Nature exists and works in exactly the same way, regardless of our attempts to understand it. Our judgment of nature came well after nature began and has neither defined nor changed anything about how nature works or exists. Art has a purpose or meaning that exists until an artist depicts it in the real world and continues after that. The human construction that we consider the “meaning” of nature is based on the existence of humanity while the existence of art is based on whether a human being can communicate a meaning that exists regardless of whether or not the communication has success. Put as simply as possible, the meaning of art exists regardless of whether it exists or not, and the reality of nature exists regardless of whether we give it meaning or not..