Margus Ramst heeft geschreven in bericht <376a9b39@news.povray.org>...
>This is what I also noticed - the Pope seems to be addressing 'creators of
>beauty'. While the definitive measure of 'art' or 'beauty' is beyond my
>grasp, I have a few convictions in this matter. ......

>In my opinion, any creation that evokes emotion may be called art. The
>emotion may be admiration, hate, anger. It does not matter.

Mmmm...  In dutch we have two words: "mooi" and "schoonheid". Mooi is beautifull
in the sense of "eye candy", as Glen called it (a beautyfull house, flower,
woman). Schoonheid is also beauty but more in the sense of the quality of beauty
(esthetic). It is more an emotion. In this other definition of beauty it's not
the emotion itself that is of importance, but the strength/force of the emotion.
A good example of this that I came across is a picture by Robert Mapplethorpe.
It shows, in close up, a man's genitals bondaged to a blood stained piece of
wood. When you look at it, there first is denial. You don't (want to) see what
you see. The moment you realize what you see, you feel it. The pain. It doesn't
look nice, but it is a very estethic picture, there is a lot of beauty in it.

>......
>Not that I'd think advocating beauty isn't a good and noble thing. Nor would
>I think the Pope is unaware of the wider sense of art. It's just that some
>of the quotes seem a bit biased. Others I strongly agree with.


This letter makes me a bit sad and on some points a little angry. Not for the
religious content, that was to be expected in a Pope's letter, but mainly
because of the mystification and romantizication of art and artists. Being an
artist is a tough job, it's hard work. I'm experiencing it at this moment,
having two month's off of my job to concentrate fully on finishing my art study.

>Anyway, such matters - art, religion et al - are far too subjective, too
>individual to search for a global answer. You cannot discuss standards.

Why not? We judge art, beauty etc. almost every day. We judge them by by
standars. Why not discuss these?

> You
>can only express your thoughts. That's what I see in these extracts, and I
>thank TonyB for sharing them with us.


Tony, where can I find the complete letter? Is it somewhere on the net?

ingo

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