In "in this light" what does this light mean and refer to?
Representational theories of art treat the work of the artist as similar to that of the scientist. Both, so to speak, are involved in describing the external world. But by the nineteenth century, any comparison between the scientist and the artist was bound to make the artist look like a poor relation in terms of making discoveries about the world or holding a mirror up to nature.Here, science clearly had the edge. So, there was a social pressure for art to come up with some vocation that both distinguished it from science and, at the same time, made it equal in stature to science. The notion that art specialized in the expression of the emotions was particularly attractive in this light. It rendered unto science its own ― the exploration of the objective world ― while saving something comparably important for art to do ― to explore the inner world of feeling. If science held the mirror up to nature, art turned a mirror at the self and its experiences.

The notion that art specialized in the expression of the emotions was particularly attractive in this light.

In "in this light" what does this light mean and refer to?

Question

In "in this light" what does this light mean and refer to?
Representational theories of art treat the work of the artist as similar to that of the scientist. Both, so to speak, are involved in describing the external world.  But by the nineteenth century, any comparison between the scientist and the artist was bound to make the artist look like a poor relation in terms of making discoveries about the world or holding a mirror up to nature.Here, science clearly had the edge. So, there was a social pressure for art to come up with some vocation that both distinguished it from science and, at the same time, made it equal in stature to science. The notion that art specialized in the expression of the emotions was particularly attractive in this light. It rendered unto science its own ― the exploration of the objective world ― while saving something comparably important for art to do ― to explore the inner world of feeling. If science held the mirror up to nature, art turned a mirror at the self and its experiences.

The notion that art specialized in the expression of the emotions was particularly attractive in this light.

In "in this light" what does this light mean and refer to?

Answer

"in this light" means "from this perspective" or "given this information".
This perspective is based on  information just explained or presented in the preceding paragraphs or sentences.

ie. The writer is saying, "From this information I just presented, we have a new perspective and  we can say that "... art specialized in the expression of the emotions was particularly attractive".

Answer

The new perspective the writer is referring to is essentially contained in this text:"there was a social pressure for art to come up with some vocation that both distinguished it from science and, at the same time, made it equal in stature to science."

So, "the notion that art specialized in the expression of the emotions was particularly attractive" as it satisfied this new perspective or demand that 'Art be distinguishable from  science and equal in stature to science.'

This is quite advanced English (for comprehension), so I can understand if you are having difficulties understanding. You really need to be C1 level at least to fully understand it.

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