The heart of our situations appears to no further price beauty.
Prince Charles was speaking with the Regal Institute of British Architects at the occasion of the 150th anniversary about the proposed extension of the National Gallery.
“What’s proposed is much like a gigantic carbuncle on the face area of a much loved and sophisticated friend.” (Prince of Wales)
He’d observed much English architecture as sterile and basic ugly.
Is this however correct? And do we need to re-discover elegance around us?
Defining beauty
Whenever we see anything lovely their elegance is subjectively felt. However; the concept of elegance and ugliness is evasive and hard to put in to words and define. Perhaps this is due to individual variations in our appreciation of it. Splendor is in a person’s eye of the beholder. What one individual sees beautiful; yet another just sentimental. One; attractive; still another repulsive.
Splendor has been reported to be anything regarding appreciating equilibrium; harmony; rhythm. It captures our attention; satisfying and raising the mind.
It is maybe not the things represented by art that identifies whether something is wonderful or ugly. Instead it is how the thing is dealt with which makes it possibly inspirational.
Spiritual philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg suggests that what arouses our feeling a individual experience is beautiful isn’t the face area itself; but the passion glowing from it. It is the religious within the natural that stirs our affections; not the normal on its own.
“The wonder of a woman isn’t in a cosmetic function but the true beauty in a female is reflected in her soul. It is the nurturing that she carefully allows; the enthusiasm that she shows. The wonder of a woman develops with the passing years.” (Audrey Hepburn)
Beauty can also happen even yet in suffering.
“Even in some of the very painful instances I’ve noticed as a health care provider; I find a sense of beauty… Which our brains are wired to register yet another person’s pain; to want to be transferred because of it and do something positive about it; is exceptionally heartening.” (Physician-poet Rafael Campo)
Creative artwork
Roger Scruton; philosopher; highlights that between 1750 and 1930 desire to of art or audio was beauty. Persons saw splendor as useful as truth and goodness. Then in the 20th century it stopped being important. Then several musicians aimed to affect; surprise and to separate moral taboos. The first of those was Marcel Duchamp e.g. his installing of a urinal. It was not elegance; but inspiration and paradox and different rational ideas they concentrated on. It’s this that gained the rewards no matter the ethical cost.
The art world today thinks that those that look for elegance in artwork; are only out of touch with contemporary realities. Since the planet is disturbing; artwork must certanly be troubling too. Yet I’d suggest that what’s stunning first-time circular is uninspiring and hollow when repeated.
“If the entire world is indeed unpleasant; what’s the purpose of creating it also uglier with unpleasant audio?… I have tried to produce it sound as lovely as I can. Otherwise what’s the point… So if you want to hear how ugly the current world is;… you can just activate the tv screen and tune in to the news. But I think that most people go to shows because they wish to hear lovely music. Audio high in melodies that you can hum or sing. Audio that speaks to the heart. Music that needs to get you to desire to smile or cry or dance. (Alma Deutscher; 12 year previous concert violinist/pianist)
If there are still any musicians making beautiful items of artwork; I imagine; like any good news in the papers; they’re maybe not obtaining the headlines.
Awakening to the spiritual
Along with much of our contemporary artwork and built atmosphere; may we also detect a grating unattractiveness – and of course self-centeredness and offensiveness – today getting into the language and manners revealed within our bulk media? As though splendor does not have any lengthier any true place in our lives.
So whenever we discover ourselves in the soup of pessimism; do we provide ourselves time for you to be ready to accept beauty?
“What is that life if; filled with care;
We’ve number time to stay and stare…
No time for you to turn at Beauty’s view;
And watch her feet; how they are able to dance.
Number time for you to wait till her mouth may
Enrich that look her eyes began.
A poor life that if; filled with attention;
We have no time for you to stay and stare. (William Carol Davies)
Effect on us of national change
I’m wondering if by losing elegance we are also dropping something else. Anything I would identify as a further perception of what is good and simple in life.
Scruton implies that residing without that greater belief is similar to living in a spiritual desert. He argues that the musicians of days gone by were conscious that living was high in turmoil and suffering. But they’d a remedy for this and the therapy was beauty. He reckons that the lovely work of art provides consolation in sorrow and affirmation in joy. It shows individual living to be worth-while.
Elegance – A note of transcendent fact
Elegance is in the eye of the beholder. But is beauty just a subjective point? Is there also an target fact to it?
Possibly we must re-visit the wisdom of the ancients. According to Plato; elegance; like justice; and goodness; is an forever present entity. He explained it forever exists; no matter changing cultural conceptions and circumstances. This could mean that elegance has endured even though there was no-one about to observe it.
It will take countless years for mild traveling the vast distance to reach our telescopes. So we now see the sweetness of the stars as these were before human beings existed.
I’d claim splendor is something; that at its center; has the truth of innocence – the purity of utter Love Itself.
“Splendor is reality; reality beauty; that’s all
Ye know on earth; and all ye need to know.” (Steve Keats; Ode on a Grecian Urn)