Search for Beauty 2017

Happy Reformation Day. In honor of the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing up the famous/infamous Ninety-Five Theses and beginning possibly the most significant event in church history since Saint Paul’s conversion, today I shall give a brief account of a Biblical perspective on art, loosely based on Dr. Gene Edward Veith’s account as recorded in State of the Arts, his treatise on the Christian aesthetic (the subtitle of which, “From Bezalel to Mapplethorpe,” is telling of his socially critical aim). This account is drawn primarily from Exodus, wherein Moses receives divine revelation as to the manner and design by which the Tabernacle was to be constructed, and wherein the Lord specifically appointed and anointed the Hebrew Bezalel to be the artist and craftsman behind its creation (along with his servant, Oholiab). From Exodus 31:1-11, the passage in which God calls Bezalel, one can discern a few guidelines for art from a Biblical perspective. Exodus 31:2-5 is the primary...

Any form of art includes the artist, the audience, and the art. The artist is the doer and the active contributor, the audience is the observer and the inactive contributor, and the art is the subject.   If the audience were to be removed from the equation leaving only the art and the artist what would occur? Does art lose its value? Does society give art its importance? Is art for the audience or the artist?   I believe art is for the artist since the artist has no idea mentally what the audience wants.   The artist creates their art without the audience in mind. There is no supply and demand. (It is important to notice that commercialized art is more a business and loses some associations with art). Art in its perfect form is a re-creation of a particular moment, feeling, or scene. And the audience’s insight differs from the artist’s because the audience has no part in the creation process usually. For example, since the artist and the audience have two separate mi...

I could not help but notice during this last class the similarities and overlap between Heidegger’s concept of poetry and Lewis’s idea of myth. The overlap is pronounced, particularly in two predominant features, the creation of reality and the use of language, though there are other striking similarities which suggest an element of truth, as is ever the case when two drastically different intellectual giants find agreement or a common theme. In my understanding, Heidegger conceptualizes poetry as necessary for “dwelling.” This comes from his work titled, intuitively enough, “Poetically Man Dwells.” Dwelling in this instance seems to have to do with having grounding in reality, a certain comfort or belongingness in existence. Such dwelling is a struggle in the contemporary world, he notes, as it is beset by work and the insecurity which accompanies the “need” for gain and success, not to mention “bewitched by entertainment and the recreational industry.” In other words, modern socie...

Art as Feminism: Hilde Hein In our book, The Nature of Art, one of the last chapters describes the connection between feminist aethetics and art. This perspective is relatively unique in comparison to the previous chapters, integrating politics as it deals with the perceived inequality amongst genders. Throughout centuries and amongst virtually all cultures, women have been the subjects of artwork. Hein expresses the nuanced need for anti-essentialism within pieces, rejecting the notion that women innately have qualities of femininity as a direct result of their sex. The same rejection pertains to men as well, as they supposedly exude masculinity based upon their genetic makeup. This fluidity of masculinity and femininity weakens the gender binary, making way for contemporary inclusivity. However, the greater perceived effect towards society’s attitudes, shifting from “masculinism” to feminism.   A recent example of feminist art would be the imprinted phrase “Nasty Woman” ...

10/18 In class, we talked about how we try so hard to classify or label things in the hope of understanding them. This has always interested me. A lot of the problems that we have in the world would not even exist if labels didn't exist. This whole concept of classifying things really came to light with the recent event of the Las Vegas shooter. After the horrific event, newspapers and news networks fell silent. Nobody really knew how to portray this man that committed such a horrendous crime. His motives were unclear and interpreting a massacre all of a sudden became very difficult. If he was Muslim it would have made sense why he did it. If he was black it would have made sense why he did it. If he was radical in any way then the event would have been easy to explain. This man stumped so many people because they were unable to put him into a category. We are so limited by our way of thinking. The way we categorize and our system of language falls so short. Would racism...

The recent class theme of “aesthetic sojourning” versus “aesthetic tourism” has helped me put words to a feeling which pervaded my time in England this past summer. Indeed, it is a sentiment which has been prevalent throughout much of my life and education, from the time I was a small boy visiting the zoo all the way up to my college career, any time I’ve ever taken what is commonly called a “tour.” This summer’s experience at Blenheim Palace in England was simply the most recent and thus the most vivid occurrence of this feeling. This trip to Blenheim Palace was part of my study abroad excursion last July. It was a pleasant enough experience; the palace and its grounds are picturesque to the extreme, and we were blessed with a rare sunny English day on which to enjoy it. Vast, well-groomed lawns surrounded the sandy-walled castle, with an elegant and expansive pond populated by geese and swans, and woods that recalled Sherwood hemming in the view in three directions. A great stone...

10/11/2017 I remember learning about Heidegger last semester. He has a lot to offer about nature or art. He claims that art and nature is a revelation of truth. What we see, what is before us, is the real truth. Heidegger talks a lot about technology and how it is merely seen as a means to an end rather than the thing itself. How does this function? In what way can it serve me? This speaks a lot about art. People often view art as how will this change me? How will this make me feel? It is difficult to take of our viewing lense and see art for how it is. Just the thing itself. Once we can appreciate art for what it really is then we will see a revelation of truth about what art really is rather than just its function for us. This works with language too. We are constantly thinking about the signified of an object that applies to us and it differs between people because of our ideologies. For example, Helen Keller learned about her doll being called a doll and that comes along wit...

For our optional homework assignment, we brought in poems to share with the class and reflect accordingly. I brought in an untitled poem by rupi kaur from her book, Milk and Honey …. (note: she prefers her name lowercased) "i want to apologize to all the women  i have called pretty. before i've called them intelligent or brave. i am sorry i made it sound as though  something as simple as what you're born with is the most you have to be proud of when your spirit has crushed mountains from now on i will say things like, you are resilient or, you are extraordinary not because i don't think you're pretty. but because you are much more than that - rupi kaur" The first notable aspect of this poem is the informality of grammar. The lyrics within the poem are seemingly sentences that separate over lines and random periods. However, this informal style is reflective rupi kaur's poetic style and cultural upbringing, as Punjabi langu...

I’ve begun listening to Joe Pug as I study because I enjoyed listening to Hymn #101 so much in class. I have discovered that his music is similar in overall message as well as overall sound. He finds beauty by looking behind him but also by pushing forward. Many of his songs talk about things that have happened in the past and how you need to hold onto things. However, he also talks about how he does not plan on giving up. He also brings up mountain and country themes a lot, which fits the style of music that he plays, he is playing what he knows and what he is surrounded by. In the song “If It Still Can’t Be Found” Joe Pug sings “If I walked ahead, I could look behind”. This shows how much he values moving forward but looking back clearly and concisely. By also focusing on nature and mountains, most likely from the area he grew up in, he is also looking back as he moves forwards. The world is moving towards a more technological way of life and he is looking back at a more natural...