In Sartre’s early consideration of art, are the imaginative universe and reality separate? Does Sartre underemphasize the materiality of artwork? The present paper holds that to answer this question in the affirmative would be a mistake.

First, I will contend that Sartre’s notion of “the denial of the existence of the object of aesthetic appreciation” does not mean not to see artwork.

Second, by examining the concepts of “pre-willing spontaneity,” “degradation” and “motivation” in Sartre’s theory of the image, I will clarify how the mental image and the voluntary image differ. In the experience of art, the reality of an artwork is held behind the imaginary that is the object of appreciation.

Finally, I will address the proximity of the experience of art to reality, compared with the act of dreaming. Naturally, to dream and to experience art are both experiences of the captivated consciousness. Moreover, both involve the imaginary. Sartre too has made mention of the similarity between the two. But, in The Imaginary (1943), Sartre also highlights the differences between the two: the ontological state of the analogon, the awareness of possibility of reflection, and the nature of affectivity.

In Sartre’s philosophy, the reality of artwork plays an effective role in the act of appreciation.