Have you ever had one of those days: you walk in a park and the green of the grass seems greener than ever, and then, when you look up into the heavens, the blue of the sky appears bluer than blue? You may wonder if it is something to do with your vision, but in reality, you are having – what I would like to call – an aesthetic epiphany. You have stumbled into one of those moments that everything around you is truly at “one with the universe, your universe.” (1) Subsequently, you can ponder the question, what is beauty, or maybe even reflect on its concomitant query, what is art? These are not easy examinations. They are obviously not the same, are they?
I was recently watching a film on aesthetics (2) which included a discussion on a piece of performance art, (3) presented at a venue in Denmark. The artist – and I use the term loosely – had placed blenders in front of the stage. In each blender, tiny goldfish were swimming about. The audience was invited, if it so desired, to turn a blender on – thus turning the goldfish into, essentially, red dye.
A sociopath – my term – engaged the blender, thereby initiating the macabre effect. This produced perhaps the desired results: the shrieks from the assembled throng, the arrival of uniformed policemen, and the understandable charges for animal cruelty. This may be art or a form of art, but it has no correlation with anything beautiful. In my opinion, at its most basic, beauty is pure, objective, and eternal while art is ephemeral and subjective.
Beauty is a gift from God or the cosmos that is self-contained without any predetermined qualities. It is beautiful in and of itself. When we look at a softly cooing child or stand before the magnificence of a raging river, we are not thinking of their utility. At that moment, we are not concerned with whether the child will grow up into an eminent scientist or if we can harness the power of the river and produce electricity. We are moved by something deeper, something more spiritual.
“Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? No, it’s deep in our minds. It is a gift handed down from the intelligent skills and rich emotional lives of our most ancient ancestors. Our powerful reaction to images — to the expression of emotion in art, to the beauty of music, to the night sky — will be with us and our descendants for as long as the human race exists.”(4) Beauty is eternal and understood innately by all – much like love, I might add.
Art, however, increasing requires no skill, no training: it just is. This has produced a very confusing situation for many young people. Are we to equate the angular lines of a cell phone to the magnificence of a baroque painting, (5) or a Verdi opera (6) to a piece of contemporary music? Though all may be labeled pieces of art, not all would fall into the category of beautiful as so defined.
In an increasingly complex world, it is important to draw these distinctions when we talk with our friends, family, students, and peers. Life appears to be ever-changing. It is moving, but there are constants that maintain our humanity and allow civilization to grow and prosper. Understanding what beauty is allows us to have access to the eternal. From the great poet, philosopher, and writer Khalil Gibran (6): Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.
A closing thought: It is necessary to create an idea of permanency in our mind. Around us, everything swirls and bubbles away. Life appears to be as complex as it is confusing. We know, however, that when we are silent — be it when we meditate in our own home or take a walk in nature – there is something everlasting, something permanent. It is a wonderful feeling and produces a shower of peace and contentment. We are, for a brief moment, one with all: truly connected to God, the cosmos, and infinity.
To sum up: This week, we spoke about the difference between beauty and art.
To be noted: From Plato (428-348 BC) — The contemplation of beauty causes the soul to grow wings.
Just for fun: Rigoletto – Giuseppe Verdi
For reflection: Where Do Our Thoughts Come From?
This week on your thoughtful walk, please ponder what beauty means to you.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful
Quote: The grandeur of the moment is mirrored by the peace in my heart.
Footnotes:
1) What Does it Mean to be One with the Universe?
2) Aesthetics
3) Aesthetics: Crash Course Philosophy
4) A Darwinian theory of beauty