Jasmine Baskerville-Beauty through a blind/deaf person

If audio and visual senses were to be removed would there still be beauty? Could one still understand the beauty in art? And if it is understood does art lose value if translated by another sense.

            Let us think about it. On a sunny Summer day, I would not be able to perceive the colors, textures, or sounds of nature. However, I would still be able to feel it and smell it. I could feel the breeze, the vibrations in the air, and I can feel the sunlight thus I can appreciate the beauty of that day. “We do not want merely to see beauty. We want something else which can hardly be put into words-to be united with the beauty, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, and to become a part of it” (Lewis pp 42-43). We use our vision and hearing more than the other senses and the senses can sometimes overpower the rest. In addition, the two senses are easily tricked. Vision and audio are the most unreliable since they deceive our mind the most.

            Beauty can be experienced indirectly and can get its power from others. Beauty can get its influential power from society. What is beautiful also depends on culture and the people in the community. For example, our view about beauty differ from others and different cultures have their own idea of beauty. If those two senses mentioned earlier were to be removed, art can be viewed through the eyes of society rather than our own. For example, a blind and deaf person watching the ballet performance could not view the beauty but could communicate with the ‘real viewer/ listener’ (person with vision and hearing) and the two can exchange knowledge of the performance. Communication comes in a number of ways such as through touch (i.e. braille, or feeling facial gestures). A blind/deaf person may have pieces of the performance and can rely on the exchange to get a better picture. However, this indirect exchange can shape the information that is handed down just like the game telephone.

             Beauty can be taken in through the sense of smell. Scent is a powerful tool and often underappreciated. Scents can bring up memories and mental imagery. Perfume is an example because the smell creates the idea of whatever its selling ( i.e. confidence, happiness, luxury). The aroma of a garden can create mental pictures of comfort, happiness, life, freshness, etc. Humans can remember one trillion odors so we can recall what home, love ones, and even what our childhood toys smelled like. Scent can lead us to someone by the smell of their pheromones.

            Beauty is more than two senses deep and can be experienced indirectly. Furthermore, there is touch and smell that further envelops us into the idea of beauty.