Objectives:
- Consider the origins of art
- Explore a brief history of Western Art
- Examine multiple perspectives for evaluating art
I labeled this post as such, because to it’s core it questions not only what, but why we find things beautiful. Once revisited, months later, I still find this piece fascinating. It still makes me question why I find things beautiful. The inclusion of the factoid about landscape art and why we find them beautiful, due to the environmental ease of habitation, is one that I will continue to share as a fun story at parties.
As I reflect on what I find beautiful today, I am struck by how similar it is to the hand ax. Some of the specifics change, but I could argue that they haven’t as much as we would like to believe. When I look at a beautiful car or truck, with sleek lines and a roaring engine, in the most basic sense am I not appreciating the craftsmanship and ingenuity necessary to make the vehicle? Dutton stated that, “we find beauty in something done well.” As I ponder through all of the things that I find beautiful, I can’t find one that doesn’t fit that description.
It was enlightening to view the personal body modification section of this course through this lens. At a base sense, ones ability to participate in body modification, such as piercing, tattoos, etc., displays a proficiency of survival in order to have the free time to do said modification. This, theoretically, should make them a more attractive mate. Moving forward with my life, I don’t know if I will ever be able to look at anything that I find beautiful or intricate without analyzing it from this viewpoint.
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