Exploring the Beautiful

For my most recent works of art I have been contemplating notions of beauty. People have often commented on the design or decorative qualities of my work, and I have decided, as a matter of interest to make this an integral element in my work. The western concept of beauty has its foundations in the origin of philosophical thought from classical antiquity. Plato imagined beauty as an eternal concept, in which everything wondrous partakes of beauty and every beautiful body shares in the “idea” of beauty. This idea of beauty has been challenged from its inception, particularly by Aristotelian concepts of beauty in which a beautiful thing, “either a living being or a structure which is composed by parts, it must have not only a regular order of those parts, but also proportions not symptomatic- because the beauty is related to size and order…”, (Arst. Poetics 1450b 35). Aristotle looks at the material make up a form to determine its beauty. This notion of beauty has given rise to the language of formalism, or the analysis of the compositional aspects of a work of art

Modern concepts of beauty begin to recognize that beauty is derived from cultural idioms. Literally, that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that the eye is shaped by cultural norms. However in a pluralistic society, like America, comprised of many cultures, traditions and beliefs, a definition of beauty derived from cultural norms is difficult to apply. Thus, forsaking notions of culture, beauty has to do with interest, an object that captures our attention, which sounds again like Plato who said beauty is a "wondrous vision," an "everlasting loveliness which neither comes nor ages, which neither flowers nor fades." Notions of beauty, it seems are circular.

This is not surprising when we consider the circuitous route western art has carved around Classical notions of beauty derived from nature and mathematical perspective. From Ancient Greece and Rome, to the Renaissance, and even late into the Modern era, artists have been trying to come to terms with notion of beauty rooted in naturalism and mathematics. Much of contemporary modern art, and postmodern art seems like a reaction to older, traditional notions of (western) art. Western artists continually look for inspiration in art forms of other cultures like Japan and Africa, so called “primitive” art, with their abstract design with narrative and representation that defy western traditions of representational pictorial space and mathematical perspective.

Contemporary artists defying traditional use of space and perspective in art herald from a long line of artists who have sought to challenge these conventions. Artists continually seek to push the boundaries of what is considered art. What is high art, what is low art, what is craft and what is decoration are all question that seek new and fertile ground for exploration. Philosophers like Collinwood have come to challenge popular notions of high and low, suggesting that elitist art, for all of its sophistication, relies dogmatically on a very refined and pure idea of art that serves as a form of entertainment for the elite that borders on religion. If this is true, much of what is considered high art is nothing more than a sophisticated variety of amusement or magical art, (religious art being a form of magical art). It is important that art be recognized in part for the craft or technique that went into the creation of the object, and not as some cold, isolated object. In short modern definitions of art and beauty seek to enhance the language of formalism with artistic notions of decoration and design.

While there are many instances of modern artistic movement that emphasize decoration at a motif, I am drawn to the art of Pattern and Decoration, the painting movement from the 1970s with artist like Miriam Schapiro and Kim Macconnel who explored ideas of the conventionality of fabric art used in quilting and decoration. These artists aggressively rejected the prevailing hierarchy of materials and styles and embraced what was then considered craft material that adorned the ironic riches of kitsch. My own materials and methods draw from the tradition of scrap booking, rubber stamp art and mixed media. At the same time cutting up the works allows me to investigate ideas of textures, layering and history, all of which are fundamental to my art making process.