How did Karl Jaspers view art as a way of interpreting transcendence?

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For the German philosopher Karl Jaspers, art is not viewed as an autonomous stage of existence, but rather as an essential manifestation of human existence itself.1

Specifically, Jaspers considered art to be a mode of reading the cipher of transcendence within nature, history, and human beings. In this context, he understood the cipher as a negative symbol through which transcendence is revealed. By interpreting these ciphers, art serves as a means of engaging with the Being that lies beyond the world, allowing individuals to look past factual forms to perceive deeper, transcendent truths.1