Comfy Knowledge By Tanner (17)
The Root of Beauty - "Comfy Part" of Chapter 1
"Beauty", as a physical form, many people know clearly what is beautiful and what is ugly. Although there are differences in the ability to discern "beauty", there are still "social standards".
However,
"beauty", as a spiritual touch, is not easily felt by everyone in real life.
In life, everyone needs "beauty": whether it is "beauty of action" or "beauty of state", "beauty of appearance" or "beauty of the soul"... As for the definition of beauty, many people throughout the ages have their own different views: some people think that "beauty is harmony - only harmony is beautiful", some people think that "beauty is utility - only usefulness is beautiful", some people think that "beauty is truth - only truth is beautiful", and some people think that "beauty is goodness - only virtue and goodness are beautiful"...
Here, let’s first look at how “beauty” is created.
In a book, I once read a scene like this: A long time ago, in a primitive tribe of humans, a little boy picked up a small stone by a ditch and threw it into the water. He felt so unrestrained and free. Suddenly, he saw circles of ripples in the ditch - they were caused by the small stone he threw - so mysterious. The layers of fine lines slowly expanded, also pulling his heart, and his eyes moved inch by inch - he had never felt this way before.
Slowly the ripples disappeared. He looked at the water in a daze, as if he had lost something. Suddenly he squatted down, picked up another stone and threw it into the water. Ah, the ripples appeared again, and his face was full of surprise and joy. He ran back to the "village" excitedly, and was full of joy to tell his friends about this discovery...
In the above example, we can fully assume - it is harmless to this article - that the period was a barbaric period for mankind, and the society at that time did not know what "beauty" was. But what I want to say here is that from the ripples, from the surprise on the boy's face, "beauty" was born. A seed of "beauty" inevitably began her own life journey in the process of nature.
From then on, the drama of human existence truly began on the stage of the natural world.
( to be continued)
Comfy Knowledge By Tanner (18)
The Root of Beauty - "Knowledge Part" of Chapter 1
The Pythagorean school extended the principle of harmony in music to other arts such as architecture and sculpture, exploring what kind of quantitative ratio would produce a beautiful effect and coming up with some empirical norms. For example, the "golden ratio" that had a long-lasting influence in Europe was discovered by this school. This exploration that focuses on form is the embryo of formalism in aesthetics.
. Do you think, then, that good and beautiful are two different things? Do you know that anything beautiful is also good from the same point of view? ... In short, everything we use is considered both good and beautiful from the same point of view, that is, from the point of view of its usefulness.
.. Is a dung basket also a beautiful thing?
. That is natural. If one can be beautifully adapted to its purpose and the other cannot, then a shield of gold is also ugly.
.. Do you mean that the same things are both beautiful and ugly?
. Of course. The same is true of good and evil. What is good for hunger is often bad for fever. And vice versa. For everything is good and beautiful if it serves its purpose well; and evil and ugly if it does not serve it well.
But there is a difference between beauty and goodness after all, because goodness involves desire and is the object of desire for everyone, so goodness is regarded as a purpose... (and) beauty belongs to the category of formal cause... In short, anything that is only for satisfying desire is called goodness, and anything that makes people immediately happy just by recognizing it is called beauty.
... and will undoubtedly change with the changing tastes of the times. Even the concept of "harmony" no longer has an absolutely certain and unchanging meaning. At least this has long been the case in Western art. Katharene Gilbert writes: "The word 'ugly' is now adopted as a term that is aesthetically harmless, whether it is a portrait of a wrinkled old woman, a discordant rhyme in poetry, a dissonance in music, an angularity in a painting, or a crude line in a play. To shrink from such complex, unflattering descriptions is to be blamed on the timidity and narrow-mindedness of the audience."
... We can use "harmony" to summarize the views of ancient Greek philosophers on the nature of beauty, "perfection" to summarize the views of medieval philosophers, and "pleasure" to summarize the views of 18th-century British empiricist aestheticians. Today, such a summary is absolutely impossible.
(? ? )
( to be continued)
Notes:
I originally intended to use this format in another "topic", not here. It was originally divided into "narrative" and "abstract". "Narrative" uses my own words to express my views on the issue, and tries not to quote existing "documentary materials"; while "abstract" is all linked together by excerpt paragraphs.
But the views expressed by the two should be the same, and they can be independent of each other. They have their own characteristics: the former is clear and thorough, and the latter has endless potential. (Smart people can get what they want by just reading the latter, or even more)
Later, I suddenly realized that using the two names "heart-to-heart talk" and "abstract" is even more wonderful - especially for the "heart-to-heart talk abstract" column. :))
Of course, this "structure" can only be used for this type of article, and other "novels" and "essays" cannot be used - who would spend time reading "abstracts"?
Due to time and energy constraints, the "abstract" can only serve to supplement the "main text", but I will try my best to work towards my original "requirements".
Comfy Knowledge By Tanner (19)
The Root of Beauty - "Comfy Part" of Chapter 2
Plato once said: "Beauty is difficult." Throughout history, many philosophers and aestheticians have conducted in-depth research on the definition of beauty, but there is still no academic standard answer.
I may give a rough outline of the “definition of beauty” at the end of this article, but let’s first look at the “origin of beauty”. :-)
Based on all the facts I feel, my accumulation, and my understanding, I believe that human "sense of closeness" is the source of beauty, that is, the original origin of beauty is "sense of closeness"!
The word "aesthetics" means "feelings" in Greek. The development of aesthetics has evolved from the "objective" aesthetics of ancient Greece to the "subjective" aesthetics of modern times, and from "object-oriented" to "human-oriented". Here, between the beginning and the end of the "process", the importance of "feelings" is highlighted. Can it be said to be a good coincidence?
As a "discipline" and a "science", first of all, its foundation must be stable, that is, the object of its study must be clear. It is hard to imagine that a building rooted in the sand will become a skyscraper. And here, "past aesthetics" is a "building" rooted in the sand. - At least that's what I think - it believes that "harmony" can produce beauty; it believes that "utility" can produce beauty; it believes that "truth" can produce beauty; it believes that "goodness" can produce beauty... In the end, it actually believes that everything can produce "beauty". - Brave is beautiful; funny is beautiful; fat is beautiful; thin is beautiful...
I know that if I define "sense of intimacy" as the research foundation of aesthetics, some people may think that the "level" is too high, too far from the "foundation", and it is easy to feel weightless. But I think this view is not a development perspective. At the beginning, I saw that some people thought that the most popular cross-platform JAVA language was purely "childish" and would not have much development potential (although it has some "practical value"). But facts have proved that it is precisely its high-level and cross-platform nature that has finally become the basis for its good development today. - Of course, some of its poor operating efficiency and other similar shortcomings are also being slowly improved through hardware, software and other means.
Therefore, don’t just assume that “sense of intimacy” is not suitable as the basis of aesthetics. Let’s first take a look at what “benefits” this “sense of intimacy” can bring us in terms of research…
( to be continued)
Comfy Knowledge By Tanner (20)
The Root of Beauty - "Knowledge Part" of Chapter 2
The art theory of ancient China also started from the beginning of cultural records. Apart from the controversial "Book of Documents", there are sporadic records of art theory in early historical books such as "Zuo Zhuan" and "Guoyu". The explanation of music harmony and other issues had a profound impact on the earliest systematic art theory monograph in China, "Yue Ji"... and literary theory... Liu Xie wrote the first systematic literary theory monograph in China - "Wen Xin Diao Long".
There is a difference between art and other products of labor. Other products only emphasize beauty on the basis of practicality. Han Feizi once said: "A jade cup made of gold is extremely precious, but it has no surface and leaks, and cannot hold water."
Zheng Banqiao once said: "In the clear autumn in Jiangguan, I look at the bamboo in the morning. The smoke, sun shadows, and dew all float between the sparse branches and dense leaves. My heart is filled with inspiration to paint. In fact, the bamboo in my heart is not the bamboo in my eyes. Therefore, I grind the ink and spread out the paper, and the bamboo in my hand changes color suddenly when I put my pen to paper. The bamboo in my hand is not the bamboo in my heart." He divided the process of painting bamboo into "bamboo in the eyes", "bamboo in the heart" and "bamboo in the hands" .
Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty said: "If you want to write, first grind the ink dry, concentrate and think quietly, imagine the size of the characters, the tilt, straightness, and vibration, so that the tendons and veins are connected, the idea is in front of the pen, and then write."
Madam Wei once said: "If the idea comes after the pen, the failure will be... The idea comes before the pen, the success will be.
<<Yue Ji. Music Image>> "Music is the movement of the heart; sound is the image of music; literary grace and rhythm are the decoration of sound."
<<Book of Music>> "All sounds arise from the human heart; the human heart is moved by things; it is moved by things and thus manifested in sound."
Ancient Chinese aesthetics emphasizes learning from nature. In painting theory, it is proposed to "learn from nature outside and get the source of the heart inside" . Learning from nature outside means emphasizing the observation of objective objects. The beauty of nature is rich and vivid, and it is the source of artists' creativity.
( to be continued)
Comfy Knowledge By Tanner (21)
The Root of Beauty - "Comfy Part" of Chapter 3
In the various academic systems of "past aesthetics", although the roots, deductions and conclusions of each theory are different, their basic "conceptual elements" are similar. Here, I will talk about those basic "conceptual elements".
1. About “beautiful things”
For "people", "things" or "objects", whether they are beautiful or not, the most popular traditional definition is this: if they can make people feel "aesthetic", then they are beautiful. (It seems a bit "self-involved"?!) Here, I think "beautiful things" are things that can make people feel "close". To put it more strictly, "beautiful things" are things that have a "sense of closeness" under the influence of a certain social and cultural atmosphere. Then, this "thing" is "beautiful" to this specific "social culture".
We know that in the "aesthetics of the past", the question of whether "beauty is in things" or "beauty is in the heart" has always been a basic issue in aesthetics. To put it simply, this question is whether "beautiful things" exist objectively or are they subjectively created by people in the "aesthetic process"?
In the above definition, the reason why I assign a new attribute of things - "feeling of being close" instead of "making people feel close" is to try to make this concept independent of the "aesthetic subject". Of course, the final "aesthetic" effect requires the intervention of the "aesthetic subject".
In addition, this "feeling of being close" must exist in a certain "social and cultural atmosphere", and the closer the "conceptual image" level is to it, the more widely accepted this "beautiful thing" will be in society. (It should be noted that the above-mentioned "social and cultural atmosphere" must be "real" and "basic", not "artificial". Otherwise, I will not discuss other issues, but it is easy to lead people astray in the discussion of this issue.)
Secondly, the relationship between "feeling of being close" and "beautiful things" in the above definition may confuse careful readers: Is it the "feeling of being close" that creates beauty, or is it beauty that brings about the "feeling of being close"? This question should not be difficult to answer.
Logically speaking, the relationship between "feeling close" and "beautiful things" should be a "necessary condition" rather than a "sufficient condition" - things that give people a "sense of closeness" are not necessarily "beautiful" (such as natural blood relationship, race or other things, etc.), but "beautiful things" will definitely make people feel "close".
Here, the "sense of being close" is more fundamental and has a more direct connection with "natural things".
( to be continued)
Comfy Knowledge By Tanner (22)
The Root of Beauty - "Knowledge Part" of Chapter 3
... She was wearing a white tennis suit, and under her ultra-short skirt and pants were two straight and beautiful legs, which didn't even need stockings, as they were smooth and moist...When she opened the door of the sports car, she half leaned against the car body and smiled, her black hair piled up on her left shoulder, and her beautiful eyes, which were slightly tilted, looked misty...
In the azure Aegean Sea, the marble islands dotted around are very beautiful. There are some sacred trees, cypress, laurel, palm, lovely grass, pebbles all over the ground or some grains planted on the hillsides... The sea invades the land with countless harbors and winding terrain; in the scenery brought back by tourists, even the shadows of the land can mostly see the blue sea, or a long strip, or a triangle, or a semicircle, shining in the distance. There are often rocks extending from the land around the sea, or several small islands not far away, forming a natural harbor.
They pursued hugeness blindly: the stones used for construction were piled on the ground for a mile, with thick columns stacked one after another, corridors hanging in the air, domes towering, and bell towers rising to the sky, with extremely delicate forms. The doorways were surrounded by several layers of small statues; many triangular walls and monster-shaped piers were cut into the outer walls; the red and green rose windows were inlaid with curved and interlaced window panes; the choir seats were carved like embroidered lace; the bell tower, tomb, altar, chapel and chapel all had small and exquisite columns, complex flower patterns, statues and leaf-shaped decorations...
It is not difficult to imagine what kind of mentality such a long-lasting and cruel situation would cultivate. First, people would be discouraged, pessimistic, and depressed to the extreme. A writer at that time said: "The world is just a devil's den of cruelty and debauchery." The world seemed to be an early hell... A group of beasts had to get up and fight with the second group of beasts who were howling and roaring in the chaotic environment... The memories of the past made the disaster in front of them more terrible; people with brains who could still read some ancient books vaguely felt what kind of field mankind had fallen into in the past thousand years.
Her eyes were not the most beautiful I had ever seen, but they were the most profound and reserved. When they expressed admiration and love, they shone with an incomparable brilliance. However, this expression was not actually gentle, as if it came from the heart and carried a longing and desire at the same time; this expression came from the soul, full and rich, as if it only wanted to give without requiring others to receive it.
Based on all the facts I feel, my accumulation, and my understanding, I believe that human "sense of closeness" is the source of beauty, that is, the original origin of beauty is "sense of closeness"!
( to be continued)
Comfy Knowledge By Tanner (23)
The Root of Beauty - "Comfy Part" of Chapter 4
2. About "aesthetics"
"Aesthetic feeling" is also a basic element in aesthetic research. According to the most popular traditional saying, "It is the feeling, experience, cognition and evaluation produced by the aesthetic subject when observing the aesthetic object; it is also called aesthetic feeling.
Here, if we take "sense of intimacy" as the basis for the development of the aesthetic system, then I think: aesthetic feeling is a "special, abnormal mental state" produced by an individual or group with a specific humanistic condition within the scope of human society, based on their own humanistic characteristics, towards things that have a "sense of intimacy"; and this "mental state" helps people better understand and know themselves. Its external manifestation is often a mood of "pleasure" and "joy".
We know that "beauty" belongs to the scope of society. The higher the "civilization" of a society, the higher its perception(High Degree) of "beauty" will be.
A modern fashion model, in primitive society, her beauty may be simply because "she is a woman", no matter how gentle her temperament is; in feudal society, her beauty may be because "she is a gentle woman", no matter how tasteful her clothes are; but on the photography stage of modern society, her beauty is the perfect combination of the human body and (fashion) shape.
In human society, "artists" are often the most aesthetically pleasing. But it is undeniable that, from ancient times to the present, most artists are often "lonely": Borges, a South American writer who spent his whole life hiding in libraries reading and writing, was "lonely", Salinger, who became famous in most of the United States with "The Catcher in the Rye" and then lived away from the hustle and bustle, was "lonely", Van Gogh, who eventually became mentally paranoid, was "lonely", Shen Congwen, who wrote many works in China, was "lonely", and there are also Hemingway, Kawabata Yasunari, Rousseau, Beethoven...
(Sorry, some of the above information is extracted.)
Why does the above situation occur? Simply put, lonely people tend to have a stronger sense of "closeness" than ordinary people. (The complexities are beyond the scope of this article)...
When people are tired of the worldly affairs, they will find the natural and real scenery more beautiful; after being used to the skilled art paintings, people will find the free and creative art paintings more beautiful.
I think that "basic beauty" lies in the "biological" side of people; and "eternal beauty" lies in the "human" side of people...
( to be continued)
Comfy Knowledge By Tanner (24)
The Root of Beauty - "Knowledge Part" of Chapter 4
The Oroqen people in Heilongjiang, Northeast China, are a minority ethnic group that mainly hunts, supplemented by gathering and fishing... In the hunting life of the Oroqen people, horses are a friendly animal, so... the image of horses also appears as decoration in wood carvings and paper-cuts.
The subjects which the hunter-gatherers draw from nature are almost exclusively restricted to figures of men and animals. They select only those subjects which are of great practical interest to them. Primitive hunters regard plant food as a secondary industry, which they have no time to take care of, and leave it to the women, so they pay little attention to plants. We can thus explain why the botanical themes which are so abundant and beautiful among civilized people are not found in the decorative art of hunter-gatherers.
As for landscape becoming an object of beauty, it was a relatively late thing. In China, figure painting was the main focus during the Qin and Han dynasties. Landscape painting gradually developed during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, but it was mostly based on figure painting backgrounds, as the saying goes, "People are bigger than mountains, and water cannot be too shallow." It was not until the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties that landscape painting began to become an independent painting genre.
The reason why landscape painting and poetry emerged during this period is closely related to social life. At that time, poets and painters were mainly literati or scholars. Some of them were dissatisfied with real life and sought comfort in nature. For example, Tao Yuanming wrote in his poem: "After being caged for a long time, I return to nature"...
French landscape painter Corot not only painted tranquil landscapes, but also some sublime natural phenomena, which shows that the scope of natural beauty has expanded and thrilling natural phenomena can also become aesthetic objects.
... In the process of social development, the relationship between man and nature is developing in more and more aspects. Natural things are becoming more and more the aesthetic objects of people, expanding from animals and plants to mountains and rivers. This is also an inevitable trend in the development of human aesthetic activities.
( to be continued)
Comfy Knowledge By Tanner (25)
The Root of Beauty - "Comfy Part" of Chapter 5
3. On “Natural Beauty and Artistic Beauty”
The distinction between "natural beauty" and "artistic beauty" and related issues may be the main part and core of my "aesthetic view" (if I may be allowed to say so). For the content of this lecture, I may need to use a few "to be continued" to connect them. :)
Hegel once believed that the proper name of "aesthetics" should be "philosophy of art", or more precisely, "philosophy of beautiful art". Here, he excluded "natural beauty" from the scope of aesthetic research. In Hegel's aesthetics, "natural beauty" is nothing more than the external manifestation of spiritual beauty, that is, "artistic beauty". His famous saying: "Beauty is the sensual manifestation of ideas" is a good proof of this.
The same is often true of other aesthetic theories. “Aesthetics” is basically equivalent to “philosophy of art”, and all studies on “beauty” are often “studies on artistic beauty”. “Natural beauty” has indeed been excluded, or at least forgotten in the corner of “beauty”.
Here, the distinction between "natural beauty" and "artistic beauty" actually involves the basic principle of "determinacy of things" in epistemology ... Let's first look at a familiar example.
I gave such an example in the first article. I wonder if you still remember it:
"...A long time ago, in a primitive tribe of human beings, a little boy picked up a small stone by a ditch and threw it into the water. He felt so unrestrained and free. Suddenly, he saw circles of ripples in the ditch - they were caused by the small stone he threw - they were so mysterious, the layers of fine lines slowly expanded, and also attracted his heart, and his eyes moved inch by inch - he had never felt this way before. Slowly the ripples disappeared, he looked at the water surface with a sense of loss, suddenly he squatted down, grabbed another stone and threw it into the water. Ah, the ripples appeared again, and his face was full of surprise and joy. He ran back to the "village" excitedly, full of joy to tell his friends about this discovery..."
In the above example, from my point of view, it is a typical example of both "natural beauty" and "artistic beauty". When the boy accidentally saw the "ripples" for the first time (regardless of whether he threw the stone or not), the beauty he felt was "natural beauty"; and when the boy saw the "ripples" for the second time through his intentional "throwing of stones", the beauty he felt was "artistic beauty"!
( to be continued)