Aesthetics: Art for Sanity’s Sake
Exploring the need for aesthetic art in the context of the modern technological era
I think beautiful things are relevant. I also believe beautiful things are necessary.
I’ve always been a fan of the Aesthetic Movement from the 1800’s, when the decorative arts were first becoming celebrated. Creators were doing all in their power to bring beauty and respite into any corner of every individuals life. After all, the Industrial Age brought over-population, pollution, an influx of cultures, faster transportation and communication, and all the new ideas that came along with all of it. Interestingly, this is also a description of today.
We communicate with people in different parts of the world as if they were next door. The melting pot continues to roil with so many combined cultures, that many young people are searching out their roots trying to reclaim their unique identity. Our transportation choices are coming back to haunt us as pollution reaches the tipping point. One might wonder how all this fits in with art, much less beauty.
Art is a great communicator, a visual shorthand. While beauty is subjective, it also communicates with shorthand. It makes a quiet “ahh” inside. It’s the “ahh” that I’m after. The quiet space that it makes. A refreshment before the next mental leap you must make.
I’ve always been a fan of the Aesthetic Movement from the 1800’s, when the decorative arts were first becoming celebrated. Creators were doing all in their power to bring beauty and respite into any corner of every individuals life. After all, the Industrial Age brought over-population, pollution, an influx of cultures, faster transportation and communication, and all the new ideas that came along with all of it. Interestingly, this is also a description of today.
We communicate with people in different parts of the world as if they were next door. The melting pot continues to roil with so many combined cultures, that many young people are searching out their roots trying to reclaim their unique identity. Our transportation choices are coming back to haunt us as pollution reaches the tipping point. One might wonder how all this fits in with art, much less beauty.
Art is a great communicator, a visual shorthand. While beauty is subjective, it also communicates with shorthand. It makes a quiet “ahh” inside. It’s the “ahh” that I’m after. The quiet space that it makes. A refreshment before the next mental leap you must make.