The text explores the concept of beauty, emphasizing that it should be appreciated by those with wisdom and skill. It also discusses how people perceive beauty differently and highlights that beauty is consistent across all forms of art, with many degrees and variations. The text concludes with the thought that beauty can be subjective, but there may also be a notion of ultimate beauty.
Beauty of Human Figures
If life appears ugly or hideous, even distorted, then it should be entrusted only to those who are wise and exceptionally skilled in painting, who also prefer to call it pleasing and artistic rather than beautiful themselves. However, when it comes to the essence of life, we know that even those people who supposedly enjoy the ugly and monstrous can find pleasure in what is beautiful and well-formed, considering even ugly monsters to be part of nature.
Indeed, beauty must primarily be counted among the things that are immutable. Many, whether old or young, believe that it is difficult to express or define what we truly call beauty; that excess cannot precisely point to its cause, and that such observations can faithfully illustrate this: Seeing some consider the varied tastes of judges, others regard the different stages of objects in which they recognize and distinguish. Even until now, those who consider the concept of beauty in mind have concluded that in every kind of art, beauty can be found in infinite ways. And since it can't be denied that there are also degrees of beauty, and one finds beauty, more beautiful, and even most beautiful; there is no reason to doubt that there might also be an ultimate beauty. When Aristotle was asked what beauty was and why what isn’t beautiful is appreciated, he answered: 'That is a question for a blind man.' Sir Kats hesitated to elaborately clarify about the various choices regarding beauty.
Translation Notes
- "Schoonheyd" is translated as "Beauty."
- "Verstandige" refers to those who are wise or knowledgeable.